Williams records rare triple-double for Cardinal
SANTA CRUZ >> If there were fans in attendance at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Thursday night, they would’ve been on their feet, roaring with approval as Stanford University freshman Ziare Williams earned a steal and completed the fast break with a two-handed windmill dunk.
KP Arena wasn’ t quiet though. Williams’ teammates jumped out of their seats and yelled enthusiastically after the dunk, which was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter minutes after the Cardinal posted a 9175 win over struggling Washington in Pac-12 action.
“I looked back and there was nobody with me,” Williams, a 6-foot- 8 forward out of Lancaster, said of his breakaway.
“In college basketball you don’t get too many opportunities to showcase your bounce. The twohanded windmill has always been my go-to and I just found a chance to get it done.”
The dunk was one of many highlights for the Cardinal, who produced a season-high point total on offense.
Williams finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become just the second player in Cardinal history to record a triple- double. Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez is the only other player to accomplish the feat for the Cardinal, doing so against USC on Jan. 25, 2007
“Every game feels like it’s getting a little slower, for sure,” said Williams, a McDonald’s All-American and five- star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN last year. “I still don’t feel like I’ve reached my full potential. I still feel like I have two, three, four, even five more levels I can get to.”
It was the third time this season the Cardinal played at KP Arena — home of the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors — due to COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County. They’re 3- 0 in Surf City, also earning wins over Arizona and Bakersfield.
“I think we’re comfortable being uncomfor table right now,” said Cardinal coach Jerod Haase. “The reality is we have a nice bed to sleep in, clean shower to take showers in, good food and a lot of positives. But the reality is, it’s not our beds, it’s not our comfort zone being back on campus, so there is a level of discomfort no matter where we go. But our guys have been fantastic getting comfortable whatever the situation is, kinda rolling with the punches.”
The Cardinal (7- 3, 3-1) looked comfortable in their makeshift home court, limiting the cold-shooting Huskies to just two field goals in the first 14 minutes. Spencer Jones buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer over Marcus Tsohonis to stake the Cardinal to a 3821 lead at the half.
The Huskies (1- 8, 0- 4) played with renewed vigor to open the second half, but the Cardinal proved too fierce to stop in the post. They out-rebounded the Huskies 47-31 and outscored their opponent 5024 in the paint.
All five starters reach double digits in scoring for the Cardinal. Junior forward Jaiden Delaire scored a season-high 21 points.
Jones, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward out of Kansas, matched a career high with 18 points. He made four of his team’s seven 3-pointers.
“He’s turning into a complete player, especially on the defensive end of the floor,” Haase said of Jones. “And offensively, I trust his passing, I trust him around the rim, I trust his 3-point shooting, his decision making … he’s really a bright spot for us right now. What he’s bringing to us right now is fantastic.”
Cardinal senior forward Oscar da Silva had a double- double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and guard Michael O’Connell added 11 points.
Tsohonis led the Huskies with 24 points. Teammates Quade Green and Jamal Bey each added 15 points.