Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers (4) hangs from the rim after making a basket against the Cal’ Andrej Stojakovic (2) in the first half of an ACC men's basketball game at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
BERKELEY — Maxime Raynaud continued his early run at ACC Player of the Year on Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion, dropping 20 points as Stanford staved off a late comeback effort from Cal, winning 89-81 in Bear Territory.
Graduate guard Jaylen Blakes impacted the ballgame as both a scorer and passer, finishing with six assists.
Oziyah Sellers, who was born in Hayward and attended Prolific Prep, contributed 16 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Andrej Stojakovic, a transfer from Stanford, had a game-high 25 points while taking a career-high 25 shots.
Stanford took early control, opening up the ballgame on a 14-4 run over the game’s first five minutes.
Cal gradually found its groove on offense, finally tying the game back up at 29 apiece with a little under five minutes remaining before halftime, but the Cardinal proceeded to close out the half on an 18-2 run.
The Cardinal held control for much of the second half, but the Bears cut the deficit to as little as six points with 1 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation.
The effort proved to be too little, too late.
Originally published at Justice delos Santos