Benny Gealer hit a career-best six 3-pointers in a 20-point performance, Maxime Raynaud recorded his second straight double-double and Stanford pulled away from visiting Cal State Fullerton for an 80-53 nonconference victory Friday afternoon.
Raynaud totaled 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds while Jaylen Blakes added a career-high 18 points for the Cardinal (2-0), who trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half.
Donovan Oday and Freddie Cooper buried 3-pointers to ignite a 15-1 run that propelled the Titans (0-2) into a 20-10 lead in the game’s 13th minute.
Two free throws by LoLo Rudolph increased the Fullerton advantage to 22-11 a minute later before Stanford dominated most of the rest of the game, beginning with a 19-5 run that had the hosts in front 30-27 at the break.
John Mikey Square gave the Titans their last lead at 33-32 with a pair of free throws 2:04 into the second half, before Gealer and Chisom Okpara bombed in consecutive 3-pointers to begin a Stanford run-away.
Gealer made three more 3-pointers in a flurry that opened a 53-38 lead with 12:40 remaining, and the Cardinal coasted home.
Gealer, who shot just 33 percent on 3-pointers last season, followed up a 4-for-6 effort Monday against Denver with 6-for-7 shooting against the Titans. The four triples had equaled his career-high before Friday’s explosion.
Gealer’s teammates didn’t have a particularly good game outside the arc, making just six of 25, but Stanford’s 12 makes nonetheless were nine more than the Titans, who went 3-for-12.
Blakes, a transfer from Duke where he totaled 183 points in 84 games, topped his previous best of 17 points, set twice while with the Blue Devils. He also found time for a game-high five assists.
Okpara added 10 points off the bench for the Cardinal, who outshot the visitors 45.3 percent to 32.5 percent overall.
Square hit five of seven shots en route to a team-high 13 points and Zach Visentin had 10 for Fullerton, which did almost half its scoring at the free throw line, going 24-for-33. Visentin also shared team-high rebound honors with four.
–Field Level Media
