STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford men’s basketball began the Kyle Smith era in style, defeating Denver at Maples Pavilion, 85-62. The win was the Cardinal’s ninth in a row over the Pioneers, and it was the program’s 14th in a row in a season-opener.
Oziyah Sellers led the Cardinal with career highs of 24 points and seven rebounds, including a 10-for-15 mark from the floor. Maxime Raynaud tallied his 16th-career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to go with a career-best six assists, while Jaylen Blakes and Benny Gealer were also in doubles figures with 12 points each. Gealer matched his career high with four made 3-pointers, while Blakes set a new career best with six assists and matched his career highs of three steals and two blocks.
The Cardinal finished with 13 steals as a team, which was the program’s most since it had 14 against North Carolina at the Maui Invitational (Asheville, N.C.) on Dec. 1, 2020.
Gealer ignited the offense with a trio of threes in the first 10 minutes, but the Cardinal and Pioneers (0-1) had a back-and-forth start to open the first half. Stanford took control with a 17-0 run that spanned five minutes in the second frame, giving the Cardinal a 38-20 lead after a triple from Sellers. The Cardinal led by 16 at the break, 38-22.
Stanford led by as many as 27 points in the second half, with Sellers dropping 17 of his 24 points in the frame, including six of the first nine to begin the period. Denver got as close as 15 points, 60-45, with 8:11 to play, but the home team responded with a 13-2 run to push the advantage out of reach.
Chisom Okpara, Anthony Batson Jr., Tallis Toure, Derin Saran, Cameron Grant and Cole Kastner each made their Stanford debuts in the game.
Stanford returns to the court on Friday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton. The action will air on ACC Network Extra.