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STANFORD, Calif. — Utah Valley men's basketball didn't lose its mojo Tuesday night, but the good vibes of a season that started 4-1 just a week ago had all-but dissolved in a third straight loss.
After a coast-to-coast road trip that included a 77-74 win over Division I newcomer West Georgia last Tuesday, the Wolverines ended the Samford Thanksgiving Invitational with consecutive losses to the host school and then North Dakota State.
Then on Tuesday, it got worse.
Jaylen Blakes had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists; and Oziyah Sellers scored 14 as Stanford ended a two-game losing skid with a 77-63 win over Utah Valley in front of a sparse crowd at Maples Pavilion.
Maxime Raynaud poured in 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Cardinal (7-2), which had lost each of its two previous games to Big West and Western Athletic Conference opponents.
"Good win for us," Stanford coach Kyle Smith said. "I have a lot of respect for Utah Valley. They're one fo the better rebounding teams in the country ... and I thought we definitely addressed our offensive identity from the previous games."
Dominick Nelson had 22 points and seven rebounds for the Wolverines (4-4), and Tanner Toolson added 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Wolverines shot just 36.9% from the field, including 5-of-17 from 3-point range. Toolson, who went 0-for-5 from the field in the second half, was the only visiting player with multiple threes (he had two).
Nelson shot 8-of-15 from the field, while the rest of his team connected on 16-of-50.
Toolson, the former BYU transfer who had 11 points with a pair of 3-pointers and three rebounds at the half, powered a 7-0 run with an and-one play at the rim to pull the Wolverines within 28-25 with 4:26 left in the half.
But that was it for Utah Valley before the break, as the Wolverines gave up a 10-0 run in the final 4:08 to trail 38-26 at halftime.
Chisom Okpara capped an 11-4 run to give the Cardinal a 49-30 lead to start the second half, holding Utah Valley to just two of their first seven shots from the field.
The Wolverines had a chance to cut the deficit to single digits, but Toolson's breakaway dunk attempt was blocked by Okpara at the 8:13 mark of the second half.
The play might have been a microcosm of UVU's trip to newly annexed ACC country, where Stanford had lost back-to-back games to mid-major competition — a 97-90 loss to Big West foe Cal Poly and a 78-71 setback to WAC foe Grand Canyon.
The Cardinal wasn't due a third, though.
Ryan Agarwal finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists for Stanford.
Utah Valley is back on the road Saturday to face James Madison. Tipoff from Harrisonburg, Virginia, is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST on ESPN+.
