The emotion was thick on Senior Day, and once Josh Childress started attacking the rim and swishing 3-pointers, there was no doubt Stanford was going to remain perfect. Childress scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks Saturday to lead the top-ranked Cardinal to a 76-55 victory over Oregon at Maples Pavilion.
"I was trying to be aggressive and open up things for my teammates," said Childress, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward. "And if I attack and am aggressive, maybe it permeates a little bit to my teammates."
Yes, he said "permeates." This is Stanford, after all. The Cardinal also played tough team defense to run its record to 25-0, 16-0 in the Pac-10, and remain one of two unbeaten teams in the country, along with second-ranked St. Joseph's (26-0).
"We have a better chance to go undefeated than almost anybody else in the country," Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery said.
Childress was 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and the senior center Joe Kirchofer set career highs with 13 points and 10 rebounds after getting the start in a ceremonial move. Stanford, which long ago clinched its fourth conference title in six years, beat the Ducks (12-11, 7-9) at home for the 18th consecutive time.
Stanford opened the game with a 13-0 run, holding the Ducks, who missed their first 10 shots, scoreless for the first 6 minutes 29 seconds. Childress made two of the Cardinal's four 3-pointers in that span as Stanford demonstrated its typical ball movement and unselfishness.
Aaron Brooks, Oregon's point guard, scored on a reverse layup to make the score 13-2, and the Ducks then went on a run that silenced the rambunctious capacity crowd of 7,391 for the only time all game.
Oregon was trailing by only 23-19 when Childress exploded down the baseline for a drop-in and Chris Hernandez hit a 3-pointer. After a Ducks basket, the Cardinal put the game away with a 13-3 spurt to end the half. Childress had 7 points in the final 4:12 and finished the half with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
Oregon shot 29 percent in the first half and 31 percent for the game. The Ducks' 55 points were a season low, as Stanford shut down Luke Jackson, one of seven players in the country to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists.
"Our defense will keep us in games," Montgomery said. "And then we keep probing offensively until we find something. Josh did a great job on Luke Jackson."
Childress held Jackson to 7 points on 3-of-8 shooting and 3 rebounds in the first half. Jackson finished with 18 points after he was forced to move to power forward in the second half.
"They play great team defense," Jackson said. "They don't have any stars on the team, but they all play solid. Childress did a good job crashing the boards."
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
RSS