ATLANTA – Stanford had a cold night from the floor offensively, dropping a defensive bout at Georgia Tech, 60-52, at McCamish Pavilion. The Cardinal moves to 16-9 this season with an 8-6 mark in the ACC.
Jaylen Blakes, making his return from injury after three games missed, led the scoring with 12 points while dishing a game-high six assists. Chisom Okpara scored nine points while Maxime Raynaud and Oziyah Sellers had eight apiece. Raynaud passed Rich Kelley ’75 for 21st on Stanford’s all-time scoring list, and he moved within two points of entering the top-20.
The Cardinal held Georgia Tech to just 60 points – its third ACC opponent to scored 60 or fewer this season – on 38.8. percent shooting, but the Cardinal shooting struggled, making just 30.3 percent of its field goals and 18.5 percent from beyond the arc.
After a back-and-forth opening eight minutes, Georgia Tech (12-13, 6-8 ACC) took control with a 24-5 run in the first half. The Cardinal closed with five points to end the half, coming on baskets from Donavin Young and Sellers, and the Yellow Jackets led at the half, 35-20.
The Cardinal allowed just 25 points in the second half, the lowest by a Stanford opponent in a second half this season. Determined, Stanford cut the advantage to single digits, 49-41, with just under six minutes to play. The lead got at low as seven points, but the Yellow Jackets hit seven consecutive free throws down the stretch to lock in the victory.
Stanford returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15 at No. 3/5 Duke. The 1 p.m. PT tip will air nationally on ABC.