Getting payback in ‘ugly’ victory
Faced with Portland State’s press, the Stanford men also had to overcome their own poor distance shooting and a big rebounding disadvantage Wednesday night.
They nevertheless carved out a 79-67 win, exacting a measure of payback for a loss to the Vikings last season.
The Vikings beat the Cardinal 87-78 a year ago in the PK80 Invitational in Portland. Portland State forced 28 turnovers and came back from an 11-point second-half deficit.
“This was a personal game; we had to get them back,” said forward Oscar da Silva, who led the Cardinal (3-3) with 12 points. “It was such a heartbreaking loss in Portland last year that I definitely wanted to win it today.”
The pressing Vikings (3-3) forced 19 Stanford turnovers and scored 21 points off them, but they also shot 32 percent. The Vikings had a 51-36 advantage on the boards, collecting 24 offensive rebounds to five for the Cardinal. Stanford was 2-for-16 on three-point tries.
“They were sending four or five guys to the offensive boards, and we just weren’t fighting back as hard as we should have,” center Josh Sharma said.
In comparison with the loss in Portland last year, head coach Jerod Haase said, “There
“It heartbreaking was such a loss in Portland last year that I definitely wanted to win it today.” Oscar da Silva, Stanford forward
was some progress this year. Having said that, it was as ugly as can be. Certainly some credit goes to Portland State for how hard they play and the style of play.”
Eleven Cardinal players scored, and freshman Bryce Wills had 10 points. Sharma had nine points and eight rebounds, providing a lift with his strong presence as the Cardinal prevailed after trailing 35-34 at halftime.
“We have a lot of young guys that grew up a little bit today and saw something they’ve never seen before,” Haase said. “Certainly, it was a nontraditional game.”
It was also different in the sense that Stanford’s two best players, forward KZ Okpala and point guard Daejon Davis, played only supporting roles. Both were limited by foul trouble, Okpala getting eight points in 18 minutes and Davis just four points and one assist in 16 minutes before fouling out.
Okpala provided two nice passes to set up baskets as Stanford took control in the second half.
Referring to Davis, Haase said, “One of the next steps for him is to learn how to play with foul trouble and not take a bad situation and make it worse.”
Michael Nuga, a guard from Canada, led Portland State with 19 points. Holland “Boo Boo” Woods, last year’s Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, had 18 and Sal Nuhu added 15.
Stanford hits the road to play at No. 2 Kansas, Haase’s alma mater, on Saturday. Haase didn’t like the team’s effort in a loss at North Carolina on Nov. 12.
“We’re playing arguably the best team in the country on their home court and a great environment,” Haase said. “I want to see growth.”