Stanford overcomes deep trouble to bury Utah Valley

Jaylen Blakes scored 18 points and Oziyah Sellers added 15 to lead host Stanford to a 77-63 victory over Utah Valley on Tuesday night.Maxime Raynaud chipped in 14 points and 17 rebounds to help the

Stanford overcomes deep trouble to bury Utah Valley

Jaylen Blakes scored 18 points and Oziyah Sellers added 15 to lead host Stanford to a 77-63 victory over Utah Valley on Tuesday night.

Maxime Raynaud chipped in 14 points and 17 rebounds to help the Cardinal snap a two-game losing streak. Stanford (7-2) shot 48 percent overall but went just 5 of 20 from 3-point range.

Dominick Nelson led Utah Valley with 22 points and seven rebounds. Tanner Toolson chipped in 11 points and eight boards. The Wolverines (4-4) lost their third straight game, shooting just 37 percent.

The two teams combined for 25 turnovers.

Sparked by back-to-back baskets from Nelson, Utah Valley raced out to a quick 12-6 lead. The Cardinal weathered that hot start and surged ahead as the half progressed.

Blakes made a layup to spark a 7-0 run that gave Stanford a 28-19 lead with 6:57 left before halftime.

Staying in front proved challenging. The Cardinal went nearly five minutes without a basket, missing five straight shots. Toolson capped a 7-0 Wolverine run that cut Stanford’s lead to a basket.

Utah Valley went cold before fully erasing the deficit. The Wolverines missed five straight shots and did not score over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the half. It opened a door for the Cardinal to build their largest first-half lead. Raynaud capped a 10-0 run with back-to-back baskets in the final minute, giving Stanford a 38-26 lead going into the locker room.

Stanford did not take the foot off the gas pedal after halftime. The Cardinal opened the second half on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 47-28. Blakes punctuated the run with a 3-pointer – the third Stanford basket over three straight possessions.

Utah Valley cut the deficit to 63-53 on a dunk from Carter Welling with 7:18 left. The Wolverines couldn’t pull any closer, going scoreless over a four-minute stretch.