Stanford and Santa Clara hope to build upon impressive openers when the San Francisco Bay Area rivals duel Friday night on the Broncos’ home court for the first time in 13 years.
The meeting of schools 22 miles apart will be the 40th in a series that dates back to 1950 but has been contested just once since 2008. Stanford won that contest 82-64 at home in 2019.
The Cardinal (1-0) received 16 points and seven rebounds from freshman Harrison Ingram in his college debut Tuesday night in a 62-50 home win over Tarleton State of Texas.
Stanford won the game at the free throw line, outscoring the guests 16-1. Jaiden Delaire had nine of his 14 points on foul shots.
Ingram stole the spotlight, but another freshman — Isael Silva — also contributed to the Stanford win. He made two of his three shots, including a 3-pointer, while scoring five points in 19 minutes off the bench.
The highly regarded product of Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., has impressed his coach immediately with his play at point guard. He had a team-high four assists against Tarleton.
“He is really a player that helps blend the team together,” Stanford coach Jerod Haase praised. “Really talented and a phenomenal attitude.”
Santa Clara (1-0), meanwhile, got 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists from its big man, Josip Vrankic, to overpower visiting Cal State Fullerton 84-77 on Tuesday.
The Broncos shot 56.7 percent against the Titans, with Vrankic going 13-for-20, while Jalen Williams and Keshawn Justice combined for 30 points on 12-for-24 shooting.
Vrankic, Williams and Justice were the top three scorers on a Broncos team that went 12-8 last year after going 20-13 the season before.
Coach Herb Sendek credits the trio with bringing along transfers PJ Pipes and Parker Braun quickly to the point where they not only started in their Santa Clara debuts but also combined for 16 points.
“Our veterans are tremendous,” Sendek boasted. “They welcomed the new guys. They buddy-coached. They helped them along the way.”
Vrankic had a team-high 13 points in the loss at Stanford in 2019. The Cardinal return three key players from that team — Delaire, Spencer Jones and Lukas Kisunas — who totaled 23 points in the 18-point win.
–Field Level Media
