No. 7 Stanford held off a sticky No. 15 California in the second round of the ACC Tournament. The Cardinal (20-12) now advance to the quarterfinal round, where it will face No. 2 Louisville. Stanford is probably still outside the NCAA Tournament bubble and will need more wins. Meanwhile, California (14-19) is likely finished for the season.
Cal vs. Stanford Box Score
Cal
Stanford
Cal vs. Stanford Game Summary
The two teams battled back and forth before Cal used a 7-0 run to claim a 22-14 lead with 10:34 to go in the first half. An Andrej Stojakovic 3-pointer capped that run. Stanford eventually pulled even at 32 late in the first half. The Cardinal scored the last nine points of the half to claim a 38-32 advantage.
Stanford opened the half with a Maxime Reynaud dunk for a 40-32 edge, the largest it would claim. Cal responded with a run to gain a 57-54 edge on a Stojakovic layup with 10:54 to play. Stanford eventually regained a lead, but Cal closed within a single point twice in the game's final 63 seconds. But Stanford took care of the ball and made free throws to claim the win.
Maxime Reynaud led Stanford with 23 points and eight rebounds. Jaylen Blakes added 21 points and six assists. Oziyah Sellers added 13 points and Chisom Okpara chipped in 12 more.
Cal's Andrej Stojakovic delivered a memorable performance in defeat, scoring 37 points, including four 3-pointers. DJ Campbell added 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mady Sissoko scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards.
Again, Stanford advances on to the quarterfinals on Thursday, where the Cardinal will play No. 2 Louisville. Another upset win could insert Stanford into the NCAA Tournament dialogue, but the NIT remains a more likely destination.
California's season is apparently over, as the Bears upset Virginia Tech, but ran out of points despite the epic game from Stojakovic.
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