With 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, junior guard Daejon Davis showcased his skill set in the first conference game for men’s hoops on Thursday. Despite a slow start that kept Stanford off the scoreboard until nearly four minutes into play, a strong second half helped the Cardinal (12-2, 1-0 Pac-12) soar to a 68-52 victory over the Golden Bears (6-8, 0-1 Pac-12).

An unfortunate replica of Sunday’s game against Kansas — in which the Cardinal fell 72-56 in its second loss of the 2019-20 season — Stanford opened the contest against Cal with six scoreless shots from the field. A steal and dunk from Davis with just over 16 minutes left in the first finally put the Card on the board after the Bears picked up the first points of the game off a layup from Grant Anticevich. Stanford still struggled to gain momentum, however, and fell behind 7-2 as Cal took advantage of the home team’s sloppy shooting. Yet the shooting struggles were not limited to Stanford, as Cal closed the first 20 minutes of action just 8-for-29 from the field.

Eager to regain control on the home court, Stanford sophomore guard Bryce Wills put an end to the Bears’ scoring run and started Stanford’s own with a jumper from in the paint. The 9-0 run that followed was just what the Cardinal needed to settle in, and a three pointer from freshman standout guard Tyrell Terry at the 10 minute mark earned the Card its first lead of the night, which it maintained for the remainder of the matchup.

Terry, who averaged just over 15 points across 12 appearances in Stanford’s 13 non-conference games, added 14 of his own against Cal, in addition to five defensive rebounds. The guard sat out during a game against the University of San Francisco in December due to an injury, but returned for competition against USD during the Al Attles Classic, when his team-high 20 points were crucial in the Cardinal’s 62-59 victory — its narrowest margin of the season.  

Despite posting double-digit offensive numbers for the 12th time in his debut season, Terry’s inexperience as a freshman came through in his team-high four turnovers. However, the team’s total of 11 was less than its 15.5 turnovers-per-game average; only one of the crimes was committed by Davis in his team-high 35 minutes on the court. 

Davis finished the night shooting nearly 50% from the field (7-of-15), 50% from behind the arc (3-of-6) and was perfect from the foul line en route to a season-high 20 points for the guard. 

Next up for Stanford in Pac-12 conference play will be the University of Washington on Thursday. The second of three consecutive home games, Cardinal vs. Huskies action tip offs at 6:00 p.m. PT in Maples Pavilion.

Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.