STANFORD, Calif. – The first season of the Kyle Smith era ended in the second round of the NIT, as Stanford fell to Kent State, 77-75. The Cardinal finishes the season at 21-14 overall, marking its most victories since 2014-15 while matching a program record with 17 wins at Maples Pavilion.
Jaylen Blakes led the scoring with 23 points, setting a new career high in his final collegiate game. Blakes finished with five assists, and zero turnovers, helping him move into 13th place on Stanford’s single-season assists list.
The only player in the country averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, Maxime Raynaud finished his Stanford career with his nation-leading 25th double-double of the season, ending the night with 22 points and 10 rebounds with four blocks. Raynaud moved past Spencer Jones ’24 and Kim Belton ’80 on Stanford’s all-time scoring list, with the Paris native finishing his career in seventh with 1,623 points. He also passed Landry Fields for fourth on Stanford’s single-season scoring list, finishing the season with 707 points, and finishes second in NCAA history for 3-pointers in a season by a 7-footer with 67.
Chisom Okpara tallied 13 points and five rebounds while Oziyah Sellers scored 11 points with six rebounds. Stanford made eight threes on the night, breaking the program’s single-season record with 294.
The Cardinal got out to a slow start, trailing by 12 points after 12 minutes, 28-16. Stanford responded with an 11-0 run, led by seven points from Blakes, to pull within one, 28-27, but Kent State (24-11) countered with a 12-0 run of their own. Stanford trailed by nine at the half, 43-34.
Stanford emerged from the locker room and took the lead after five minutes, 46-45, as Raynaud paced a 12-2. The Golden Flashes again had a response, taking a 67-56 lead with 6:13 to play. Stanford was able to cut the deficit to one possession on two occasions, but Kent State made seven second half free throws to help secure the result.