Stanford men’s basketball secures fourth straight win heading into ACC tournament
When freshman guard Ebuka Okorie slithered down the lane for a layup to start the second half, he did more than keep the momentum rolling for Stanford men’s basketball (20-11, 9-9 ACC). The basket placed him in the top-10 of Stanford’s single-season scoring list, where he now sits at number eight with 671 points this season.
Okorie overpowered NC State (19-12, 10-8 ACC) on Saturday afternoon as he torched their defense to the tune of 33 points and a career-high five three-pointers. The game marked Okorie’s seventh 30-point performance this season, and the Cardinal needed every one of his points to squeak out the 85-84 win.
Not only is Okorie having the greatest rookie season in Stanford history, the New Hampshire native is on pace to record the most-prolific scoring year among rookies in ACC history. With his current average of 23.1 points per game this season, which ranks fifth nationally, Okorie would surpass the ACC’s previous record of 22.6 points per game held by Duke’s RJ Barrett (2018-19).
Saturday’s game, however, started slow for Okorie and the Stanford offense. Okorie came out the gates shooting 1-5 from the floor and the Cardinal missed their first eight three-point attempts. Redshirt junior Ryan Agarwal nailed the first three-pointer halfway through the first half, knotting the score at 13-13. The Stanford offense quickly heated up after Agarwal ended the dry spell with Okorie nailing three-consecutive three-pointers to establish a 22-17 Stanford lead. Despite the slow start, Okorie tallied 19 points in the first half.
After Okorie’s historic basket to start second half action, the game turned into a tug-of-war contest with neither team surrendering much ground. Stanford was able to stay in the game despite a rough shooting performance from senior guard Benny Gealer. With the Stanford offense stalling midway through the second half, Gealer was surprisingly the player to provide an offensive spark. Gealer provided his first basket of the game via a three-pointer from the NC State logo to tie the game at 58-58.
Gealer came to life with eight points in the second half, and, before fouling out, helped Stanford take control of the game, possessing a lead as large as nine points. The Wolfpack clawed their way back as Stanford held a narrow two-point lead with just over a minute in regulation.
With Gealer fouling out, graduate student guard Jeremy Dent-Smith was asked to step up and he did. Dent-Smith nailed four clutch free throws in the final minute to keep NC State at bay as Stanford secured the win. Graduate student forward AJ Rohosy was also huge in maintaining the slim lead as the big man added 14 points and seven rebounds.
After Saturday’s win, Stanford secured a four-game win streak, which ties their longest streak of the season, going into the ACC tournament. The Cardinal will now prepare for a first-round matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers (12-19, 5-13 ACC) on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m.
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