Bal, Marshall spark Santa Clara to 89-77 victory over Stanford

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Adama Bal had 23 points, Carlos Marshall Jr. scored 20 and Santa Clara knocked off Stanford 89-77 on Tuesday night at Maples Pavilion.

Santa Clara (3-0), which trailed by two at halftime, used back-to-back 3-pointers from Bal and Jalen Benjamin to take a 62-57 lead with 11:20 remaining. Stanford (2-1) pulled within three points on a Spencer Jones layup, but Bal answered with a 3-pointer for a 77-71 lead at the 3:22 mark and the Broncos maintained a two-possession lead from there.

Bal made 7 of 15 shots with three 3-pointers and sank all six of his free throws for the Broncos, adding six rebounds. Marshall sank 6 of 11 shots, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, and all four of his foul shots, adding five rebounds and four steals. Johnny O’Neil hit three 3-pointers and pitched in with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Tyeree Bryan scored 11 off the bench.

Maxime Reynaud led with Cardinal with a career-high 26 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Andrej Stojakovic had his best game so far, scoring 18 on 7-for-14 shooting with three 3-pointers. Michael Jones scored 14 while Jared Bynum had eight points and seven assists.

Reynaud scored 17 points and Stanford took a 46-44 lead into halftime. O’Neil and Marshall both scored 12 to keep Santa Clara close.

The Cardinal shot 54.8% in the first 20 minutes, sinking 6 of 10 from 3-point range and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line. They shot 33.3% in the second half and made just 2 of 14 from 3-point range.

The Broncos shot 50% overall and made 6 of 12 from beyond the arc in the first half. They finished at 45.8% overall, 46.4% from distance (13 of 28) and made all 10 of their free throws.

The Cardinal lead the all-time series 51-28, but Santa Clara has won the last two — earning an 88-72 victory on its home court in the 2021-22 season.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball