Perhaps it’s a case of better late than never for Stanford.
After consecutive wins over the Oregon schools got the Cardinal off the schneid in the Pac-12 Conference this season, they have a chance for a third consecutive victory Wednesday night in a rare nonconference date with visiting Chicago State.
Stanford (7-12) might have played its best game of the season Saturday night in stopping Oregon 71-64 in Maples Pavilion. It canned two-thirds of its shots in building a 42-37 halftime lead and stretched it to 17 points in the second half before the Ducks rallied to make the final margin look respectable.
“No disguise, we’ve had a tough start to the season. We’ve lost some close games, some tough games,” said Harrison Ingram, who had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists against Oregon. “Just kind of staying together, encouraging each other and not really worrying about ourselves.”
Spencer Jones added a team-high 16 points and six rebounds for the Cardinal.
“We’ve had some tough times, and to have a couple games here at home and have a homestand and get two wins is a big deal for us,” coach Jerod Haase said. “I thought our guys played loose and confident. … I thought when any run was made back at us, we maintained a good demeanor.”
Jones is the leading scorer for the Cardinal at 12.9 ppg, while Davidson transfer Michael Jones chips in 10.1 ppg. Stanford is in the bottom 100 in Division I in scoring (67.9 ppg) and 3-point percentage (31.8).
Meanwhile, Chicago State (5-16) comes into town fresh off a 74-70 win Monday night at Coastal Carolina. The Cougars got 21 points from Wesley Cardet Jr., all in the first half, and 17 from Dayton transfer Elijah Weaver to win for just the second time in 11 games.
“They are a better team than people think,” Coastal Carolina coach Cliff Ellis said, “and I was worried to death about this game.”
Chicago State is in its first season as an independent after playing in the Western Athletic Conference. The Cougars have played primarily on the road. This will be their 18th road game; they are 1-16 as the away team.
Cardet is their leading scorer at 16 ppg, followed by Jahsean Corbett at 13 ppg.
This will be the first-ever matchup between the programs.
–Field Level Media
