Field Level Media
Nov 30, 2020
Ziaire Williams collected 19 points and eight rebounds in his collegiate debut to lift Stanford to an 82-64 victory over Alabama on Monday at the Maui Invitational in Asheville, N.C.
Williams, who was the highest-rated signing in school history, made 8 of 15 shots from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Bryce Wills scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half before exiting the contest with just over seven minutes to play with an apparent right leg injury.
Oscar da Silva and Daejon Davis each added 13 points for the Cardinal (1-0), who will face No. 14 North Carolina on Tuesday. The Tar Heels posted a 78-51 win over UNLV on Monday night.
Alabama's Jahvon Quinerly had 14 points and Jaden Shackelford finished with 10 to record his 17th straight game in double-digit scoring. Herbert Jones and Jordan Bruner each added eight points for the Crimson Tide (1-1), who will face the Runnin' Rebels on Tuesday.
Williams made his presence known right from the start, draining a 3-pointer to open the scoring and connecting again from beyond the arc to give Stanford a 15-12 lead.
Williams added his third 3-pointer of the night before sinking a mid-range jumper to cap a 9-0 run by Stanford, which seized a 41-29 lead at halftime. The Cardinal shot 45.2 percent from the floor in the first half -- including a 6-for-9 performance from 3-point range -- while Alabama made just 3 of 15 shots from beyond the arc.
Davis scored the first four points of the second half before Alabama answered with a 13-4 run to trim Stanford's lead to 49-42. Bruner and John Petty Jr. combined to total 11 of the Crimson Tide's 13 points after being held scoreless in the first half.
Wills countered with a 3-pointer, a dunk and a jumper in the paint and Stanford kept the pressure on en route to extending its advantage to 59-42 with 12 minutes remaining. Wills continued to work the interior with a dunk and layup as Stanford seized a 67-48 lead with 9:04 left and didn't look back.
--Field Level Media