Maxime Raynaud overpowered the UC Davis defense both inside and out for a career-high 33 points and 14 rebounds Sunday afternoon, helping Stanford remain unbeaten with a 79-65 victory over the visiting Aggies in a nonconference game.
Ty Johnson countered with 26 points and UC Davis (2-2) outshot the hosts 45.3 percent to 37.3 percent, but the Cardinal (4-0) used a 21-12 advantage in free throw points and a 45-30 dominance on the boards to pull out the win.
Stanford led just 18-15 near the midpoint of the first half before holding the visitors scoreless for more than three minutes while running up an 11-point advantage.
With Raynaud finishing off a 17-point half, the Cardinal took a 41-23 lead into the intermission and then survived some anxious moments afterward. The Aggies got as close to five at 53-48 on a dunk by Johnson with still 9:08 to play.
But Stanford countered 13 seconds later with a Ryan Agarwal 3-pointer, and Aidan Cammann’s three-point play and Raynaud’s basket pushed the Cardinal’s lead back to double digits.
Raynaud’s previous career-high had been 29, which he reached twice in a 20-day stretch last February against Arizona and Oregon State. The 14 rebounds matched a season high but fell three short of the 17 he had against Arizona State last February.
The double-double was his fourth straight this season.
Jaylen Blakes chipped in with 17 points, four assists and two steals for the Cardinal, who made 21 of their 25 free throw attempts while UC Davis went just 12-for-17.
Johnson, who entered the game with a 29-point scoring average, shot 9-for-20 and made seven of the Aggies’ 12 free throws. He also made four steals.
Pablo Tamba added 13 points and Leo DeBruhl 11 to go with six assists for UC Davis, while Niko Rocak had seven rebounds.
–Field Level Media
