Julius Price posted a team-high 17 points to help Stanford rally out of an early hole and hold on for a 74-65 victory against visiting Eastern Washington on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.
Nick Townsend posted 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in his first game for the Cardinal. Aidan Cammann had 13 points and four rebounds, and Aziz Olajuwon contributed 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
Alton Hamilton IV had a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds for Eastern Washington. Cole Scherer added 11 points, and Jalen Griffith paired nine points with a team-leading three assists.
Stanford had an early 7-6 lead before the Eagles surged ahead. Scherer and Malachi Richmond each made three-pointers to propel the visitors to a 22-13 advantage with 9:14 left in the half.
Stanford was held without a field goal for 4:20 and trailed 28-15 with 6:08 until halftime.
Price hit back-to-back shots to end a scoring drought and started an 11-0 Stanford run, cutting the deficit to 28-26 with 3:11 to go. Townsend’s layup gave Stanford a 31-30 lead with 1:41 remaining, and Olajuwon hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cardinal a 34-30 lead at the half.
Stanford built a nine-point lead with 15:18 to play before Eastern Washington closed the scoring gap, with Isak Homelius’s three-pointer tying the game at 48 with 13:23 left.
With the Cardinal ahead 64-57 with 4:03 to play, the Eagles rallied once again. Hamilton’s jump shot capped a quick 8-0 run and put the visitors ahead 65-64 with 2:45 to play.
Those proved to be Eastern Washington’s final points, however, as Stanford finished the game on a 10-0 run to close out the win.