Stanford men’s basketball maintained its perfect start to the season with a hard-fought victory against Norfolk State on Wednesday night.
The Cardinal — just like in their win against UC Davis on Sunday — stormed ahead early and held a convincing lead. However, a poor shooting night plagued the team and allowed the Spartans to claw back into the game. The second half saw multiple lead changes before the Cardinal ultimately pulled ahead for good, relying on their defense and another strong performance from senior forward Maxime Raynaud, who led Stanford with 20 points.
From tipoff, it was clear Norfolk State had made the long journey across the country with the intention of ending Stanford’s perfect start to the season. The Spartans played with physicality and energy but struggled to deliver points early. Despite a fiercely contested first five minutes, Stanford surged to a 14-2 lead, led by graduate guard Jaylen Blakes, who energized the Maples Pavilion crowd with a slam dunk and a three-pointer following a big block from Raynaud.
Stanford’s lead was continually threatened after the first timeout of the half. Free-throw shooting and a timely three-pointer from Raynaud — one of just eight made by the Cardinal as they suffered a 23.5% conversion rate from beyond the arc — helped the home team maintain a slim advantage at halftime, 38-33.
Jaylen Blakes “being 10-for-12 from the line, Oziyah [Sellers] being 6-for-9 from the line is, I think, what kept us in the game,” Raynaud said.
The Spartans scored nine of the first 11 points after halftime to take their first lead, forcing head coach Kyle Smith to turn to his bench. Redshirt freshman forward Aidan Cammann and redshirt sophomore guard Ryan Agarwal delivered solid performances off the bench to offset quiet starts from junior forward Chisom Okpara and junior guard Benny Gealer, the latter scoring just one point in the game.
Smith made further bold substitutions, inserting redshirt sophomore Jaylen Thompson and redshirt freshman Cameron Grant at key moments in the second half. Grant rewarded Smith’s faith with a crucial offensive rebound and an assist on a Blakes three-pointer, extending Stanford’s lead to seven with eight minutes to play. The Cardinal never relinquished that lead.
Stanford drew fouls from an increasingly desperate Norfolk State team, causing two Spartans to foul out. The decisive blow came when junior guard Oziyah Sellers hit a three-pointer — his first made shot from deep in seven attempts.
The 70-63 win is the first single-digit victory for the Cardinal in this young season, offering valuable lessons for the team moving forward.
“We still got to learn from the start of the game,” Raynaud said. “We need to build upon this [lead] a bit more, [but] they’re a good team, too.”
Stanford is 5-0 to start a season for the first time since 2019. Up next, the Cardinal travel to Santa Clara for a Saturday night matchup before playing Grand Canyon University next week on Tuesday.