Stanford defeats Olginate (Italy), 80-64

After touring Tuscany and Milan, the Stanford basketball team found itself in a town whose inhabitants could fit inside Maples Pavilion with space left over. That town is the home of NP Olginate, a third-tier Italian professional basketball team. Stanford made quick work of the Lombardo squad, building an early lead and never looking back on the way to an 80-64 victory.

The game was streamed on the official NP Olginate Facebook page, yet felt a little bit like found footage. The gym was quiet, even by Stanford’s standards, and looked as though it could have doubled as a VA or dance hall. The Italian play-by-play featured raving about Stanford’s library and Mad Dog Madsen.

The matchup was played under international rules. That meant four 10 minute quarters, as well as a 24 second shot clock. Statistically, the biggest stars of the game were probably the referees. The game had little flow due to the frequent stoppages. The moment they showed a willingness to call travels, it was clear Stanford would be racking up turnovers aplenty.

Jerod Haase went with Terry-Davis-Wills-da Silva-Kisunas as his starting five, the same group from Wednesday. On the first play in the game, they ducked it inside to Kisunas who scored from the block. The big Lithuanian seems to have upped his agility since last season, and could be in line for a bit of a breakout season. He’ll certainly have the opportunities.

The Cardinal built up a 16 point advantage by the end of the first quarter. They stretched it out further at times, and never let it get back to single digits. Haase subbed fairly freely, trying out numerous combinations of players that have never seen the court together.

Tyrell Terry was the star of this one. The Minnesota native caught fire early, with 14 points in the first quarter and 25 by the end of the third. The most obvious thing about his game tonight was his outside shooting, but he contributed in so many other ways. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of his game was his composure with the ball. Stanford is a team of energy guys who can find themselves sped up, but Terry seems to play more within himself. He also made some excellent defensive plays.

Daejon Davis had 12 points. He doesn’t figure to have the ball in his hands quite as much this year, but that’s probably a good thing; he can be dynamic at the 2 spot. He was quiet for much of the game, but had some encouraging flashes. Oscar da Silva and Spencer Jones added 8 apiece. Jones and fellow freshman James Keefe both brought impressive hustle to the game.

Olginate looked like the Houston Rockets if they forgot about the rim. They’re a young squad full of guys who play hard and love to chuck it up. It should be noted that Serie B is more of a semi-pro level, full of fledgling players and developmental prospects.

With the win Stanford moves to 1-1 on their international tour. They are in action tomorrow against SAM Basket Massagno, a team in the Swiss Basketball League. They close out the tour Tuesday against Bayern Munich. Massagno features Uroš Slokar, a 2005 draftee of the Toronto Raptors, and Bayern’s senior team is the new home of Stanford great Josh Huestis.