Stanford (6-5) vs. Long Beach State (5-9) | Saturday • Dec. 29 • 7:30 p.m.
Maples Pavilion • Stanford, Calif.
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Game Notes: Stanford | Long Beach State
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NONCONFERENCE FINALE
Stanford hosts Long Beach State Saturday night at Maples Pavilion in its nonconference finale. The 49ers represent the third consecutive California team the Cardinal will face, after defeating San Jose State at home on Dec. 18 and dropping a decision at San Francisco on Dec. 22.
Stanford has won five of its last six nonconference finales, with its only loss during that stretch coming against No. 14 Kansas in Sacramento last season. The Cardinal looks to finish the regular-season nonconference slate with at least seven wins for the eighth time in the last nine years. Stanford posted a 10-2 nonconference record during the 2011-12 regular season.
YOUNG SQUAD
Eleven of Stanford's 15 players are in their first or second year playing. Only senior Josh Sharma and juniors Marcus Sheffield, Trevor Stanback and Rodney Herenton entered the year with at least two seasons played. Through 11 games, first and second-year players have accounted for 82% of Stanford's scoring (644 of 786) and 82% of Stanford's rebounding (322 of 392).
Stanford's starting lineup in four games this season has been made up of three sophomores (Daejon Davis, KZ Okpala, Oscar da Silva) and two freshmen (Cormac Ryan and Bryce Wills). The Cardinal is one of only four teams in Division I that have started all freshmen and sophomores, this season, joining East Carolina, Incarnate Word and Mount St. Mary's.
DAVIS AND DA SILVA DOMINANT IN DECEMBER
The sophomore duo of point guard Daejon Davis and forward Oscar da Silva have consistently provided strong performances on both ends over the recent stretch of games. Davis is averaging 17.8 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds in the last four games, while da Silva is averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game over the last five contests.
Davis has matched his season-high scoring total of 19 in three of the last four games against No. 2 Kansas, Eastern Washington and San Francisco. After opening the season averaging 6.3 ppg in his first six games, da Silva has more than doubled that scoring average in the last five games (13.8). He had a career-best 23-point performance with six three-pointers against San Jose State.
FREQUENT FLYERS
Seven of Stanford's first 11 games were on the road, with the Cardinal traveling 16,419 miles. The Cardinal has played outside the Pacific time zone in six of its seven road games. Stanford spent 16 of the first 26 days of the regular season (Nov. 6-Dec. 2) on the road.
AGAINST LONG BEACH STATE
Stanford and Long Beach State have squared off four times previously, with the Cardinal winning three of those matchups. The Cardinal owns home wins against the 49ers on Dec. 15, 2001 (94-77) and March 17, 1988 (80-77) in the postseason NIT. Stanford defeated Long Beach State, 86-63, on Dec. 2, 2000 in Long Beach. The Cardinal, which had seven available players for the game, dropped a 76-68 decision at Long Beach State on Dec. 3 of last season.
AGAINST THE BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Stanford is 57-10 against current members of the Big West Conference. Saturday is the Cardinal's first game against a Big West opponent since last season's game at Long Beach State.
THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
Stanford leads the Pac-12 and ranks 22nd nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense. The Cardinal has limited opponents to just 28.1 percent on threes (47-of-167) this season. Five of Stanford's first 11 opponents have recorded four or less three-pointers against the Cardinal. Stanford held Middle Tennessee without a three-pointer in its Battle 4 Atlantis finale.
DAVIS DOES IT ALL
Sophomore Daejon Davis, who broke Brevin Knight's school freshman assist record with 160 last season, has started 43 of 44 career games. He is averaging 17.8 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds in his last four games. Davis ranks second on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg), and his 1.6 steals per game average is fourth in the Pac-12. The sophomore has posted at least four points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals in two games this season against UNC Wilmington and Middle Tennessee. He has posted at least four points, four rebounds and four assists in four contests. Davis matched his career-high rebound total with 10 boards vs. Middle Tennessee.
OKPALA'S IMPACT AS A SOPHOMORE
Sophomore KZ Okpala is averaging a team-best 16.3 ppg in 32.0 mpg through 11 games this season. He averaged 9.0 ppg in 28.1 mpg in his first 11 games last season. The forward, who had a career-best 29 points in the season opener against Seattle, is eighth in the Pac-12 in scoring.
RYAN AMONG PAC-12'S BEST THREE-POINT THREATS
Freshman Cormac Ryan is second in the Pac-12, averaging 2.3 three-point field goals per game. He scored a team-best 12 points, all in the second half and all on three-pointers, against Florida. The freshman has recorded at least four three-point field goals in a game in four of nine contests (5 vs. Seattle, 4 vs. North Carolina, 4 vs. Florida, 4 vs. Eastern Washington). He has multiple three-point field goals in five games and is shooting 33.9 percent from three-point range (21-of-62). Ryan's 11.0 ppg ranks third on the team.
WILLS ONE OF NATION'S YOUNGEST PLAYERS
With a birthdate of October 13, 2000, Bryce Wills is the youngest player in the Pac-12 and one of the youngest in Division I. With most of the Division I schools reporting, Wills is the seventh-youngest player in the nation. He has started five games, with a career-best 10 points against Portland State and last time out at San Francisco.
DA SILVA FINDS TOUCH FROM DOWNTOWN
Sophomore Oscar da Silva has connected on 11 of his last 21 three-point attempts, dating back to late in the first half against Eastern Washington three games ago. He opened the season 3-of-30 on three-point attempts. The sophomore finished with a career-high six three-pointers vs. San Jose State.
DA SILVA'S SECOND-HALF PRODUCTION
Oscar da Silva has scored 76 of his 107 points on the season in the second half. Over the last nine games, 72 of his 97 points have come after halftime. He posted all 12 of his points against San Francisco in the second half last Saturday.
JOSH JAMS
Of senior Josh Sharma's 30 field goals on the season, 16 have been dunks. He has nine dunks in the last six games. The center also has a presence on the defensive end, ranking ninth in the Pac-12 with 12 blocks. He has started seven of 11 games, including the last four contests.
WHITE DIALED IN FROM LONG RANGE
Sophomore Isaac White, who led Stanford with 38 three-pointers last season, is one of the Pac-12's top three-point threats again. The guard is shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range (8-of-18) this season. He was 5-of-5 from beyond the arc at No. 2 Kansas. White has seen 68 minutes of action in the last four games, after totaling 23 over the first seven contests.
SHEFFIELD BACK
Redshirt junior Marcus Sheffield returned to the lineup this season, after missing the entire 2017-18 season. He injured his leg in practice a couple days before the regular-season opener last year. Sheffield, who poured in a career-best 35 points against Arizona State on Dec. 30, 2016, averaged 6.7 ppg during his true sophomore campaign in 2016-17. He is averaging 5.6 ppg in 16.6 mpg off the bench in the first 11 games of 2018-19.
BACK-TO-BACK TOP-20 RECRUITING CLASSES
In Stanford's first 11 games, five true freshmen have seen action. Cormac Ryan and Bryce Wills have both started several games. Ryan is third on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg). Jaiden Delaire averages nearly four points in nearly 13 minutes of action. Lukas Kisunas has played in 10 games averaging 5.6 minutes per contest. Sam Beskind made his Cardinal debut in the win over Eastern Washington. The Cardinal's class of newcomers was ranked as high as No. 20 nationally, giving the program back-to-back top-20 recruiting classes. Stanford's 2017 class of Daejon Davis, KZ Okpala, Oscar da Silva and Isaac White was ranked No. 8 nationally.