After two weeks off taking final exams, Oscar da Silva was happy to get back on the basketball court.
Da Silva scored 25 points, one shy of his career high, and had eight rebounds in helping Stanford beat San Jose State 78-58 on Saturday.
“The focus was off basketball for a little bit,” da Silva said. “We were able to get into the gym and work on cleaning some things up.”
Tyrell Terry added 11 points, eight boards and five assists for the Cardinal (9-1), which improved to 40-13 all-time against San Jose State and has won 10 of 19 meetings in San Jose. Isaac White contributed 12 points off the bench.
Off to its best start since 2011, Stanford has held all 10 opponents to under 70 points this season, representing the first time the Cardinal has accomplished the feat since a 10-game sub-70 stretch from Dec. 28, 2010-Jan. 29, 2011.
Stanford’s nine victories have all come by double-digits, including four 20-point wins. The Cardinal finished with 10 double-digit wins overall last season.
“It’s a real thing to be off two weeks and expect to be sharp,” Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. “We haven’t seen much zone this year, but our plan was solid.”
Seneca Knight scored 12 points for the Spartans (3-8), who have lost six straight games. Brae Ivey added 11 points.
“We played the best team we’ve seen this year,” San Jose State coach Jean Prioleau said. “They keep coming at you with the same actions and break you down. They have the ability to make the play.”
The combination of Stanford’s substantial rebounding advantage (48-32) and San Jose State’s poor shooting (29.8%) proved too much for the Spartans.
Making 11 of 17 from the field, da Silva scored Stanford’s first nine points of the second half in the first true road game for the Cardinal, which maintained a double-digit lead throughout.
“His footwork is good around the basket,” Prioleau said. “He gets in close and he can score.”
Da Silva was a big reason why Stanford outscored the Spartans 52-12 in the paint. The Cardinal also held a 21-14 edge in points off turnovers despite committing 19.
Following an early San Jose State lead, the Cardinal began pulling away, leading by as many as 14 points late in the first half before settling for a 32-19 halftime advantage.
Stanford hosts San Francisco on Tuesday, then plays San Diego as part of the Al Attles Classic at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday.
*Care of Stanford athletics
cardreider 