Stanford wasted little time settling in at Maples Pavilion, and once the Cardinal found their rhythm, Oakland had no answer. Behind a big night from Nick Townsend and a sharp shooting performance from Christian Bliss, Stanford rolled to an 81-63 win to finish opening week unbeaten and move to 2-0.
Townsend was the centerpiece, piling up 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals while shooting 8-for-11 from the field and 8-for-9 at the line. Bliss gave Stanford a major lift of his own with a season-high 17 points and eight rebounds, knocking down 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range. Aidan Camman kept his early-season momentum going too, reaching double figures for the second straight game with 13 points and two steals.
The support behind them mattered as well. Julius Price chipped in eight points, while classmates Aziz Olajuwon and Isaiah Rogers each hit two 3-pointers.
Stanford’s defense made life miserable for Oakland, which finished with only four assists and 14 turnovers. The Cardinal won the night in points off turnovers, points in the paint and second chance points.
Oakland briefly grabbed an 11-7 lead early, but Stanford answered with a 7-0 burst that featured two baskets from Townsend and flipped the game to 14-11 with 12:14 left in the first half. The Cardinal kept building from there, using an 8-0 run that included six points from Bliss to go ahead 25-17 with 7:27 remaining before taking a 38-33 lead into halftime.
The second half belonged to Stanford. Bliss drilled consecutive 3-pointers around the midpoint of the period to push the margin into double digits, and the Cardinal closed strong with a 17-9 run over the final 6:16 to put the game away.
In Other News...
Stanford's Early Momentum Faces A Better Test Against Rice
Stanford has opened the season with a pair of wins over Eastern Washington and Oakland, and the early signs have been encouraging for a group still trying to settle into its identity. Julius Price and Nick Townsend have already given the Cardinal useful production, while coach Kyle Smith came away from the Oakland game pleased with the way his team competed and the clarity it showed in its roles.
Rice should provide a more revealing check on that progress. The Owls are 1-1 after beating Dallas Christian College and dropping a tight game to East Texas A&M, and Jacob Dar has been their most dependable presence on both the scoring and rebounding fronts. For Stanford, this is the kind of matchup that can show whether the first two results were just a solid start or the beginning of something more stable. [Read more 🡒]
Stanfords 2-0 Start Comes With One Clear Challenge
Stanfords early-season momentum kept building with an 81-63 win over Oakland University, a result that pushed the Cardinal to 2-0 and offered another look at how quickly this roster is taking shape. The transfer additions have already started to matter, with Nick Townsend and Christian Bliss giving Stanford a lift in scoring and on the glass as the team continues to sort out its identity under Kyle Smith.
Even with the comfortable margin, Smiths attention after the game stayed on the habits that will matter once the schedule stiffens. He praised the effort and the way the group is developing, but the next step is cleaner execution, especially when it comes to limiting turnovers and avoiding unnecessary fouls. [Read more 🡒]
Stanford Heads To Blacksburg With Its Season Suddenly On The Line
Stanford comes out of its final bye week with the kind of November stretch that can reshape the season in a hurry, starting with a road trip to Virginia Tech. The Cardinal have shown enough on offense to keep things interesting, with quarterback Davis Warren piling up pass attempts while keeping the interception total low and running back Micah Ford contributing as both a runner and receiver.
The challenge now is turning that into wins away from home, something Stanford has not done in a long time. A victory in Blacksburg would give the Cardinal a real foothold in the race for bowl eligibility, and with two of the final three games still ahead, the margin for error is suddenly very small. [Read more 🡒]