STANFORD, Calif. – Ebuka Okorie scored 26 points while Chisom Okpara added 21, and Stanford men’s basketball defeated Portland State, 89-79, in its season-opener at Maples Pavilion. The win is Stanford’s 15th in a row in a season opener.
Okorie’s 26 points mark the most for a Stanford true freshman in his Cardinal debut on record (since at least 1996), besting the mark set by Ziaire Williams against Alabama in the 2020 Maui Invitational, held in Asheville, North Carolina. Okorie also added seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Okpara’s 21 points were his most in a Stanford uniform, with the senior finishing 7-for-11 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
Jeremy Dent-Smith and Benny Gealer were in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively, with Dent-Smith leading the team with three made 3-pointers while Gealer matched a career-high with five steals. AJ Rohosy added eight points and seven rebounds, while the Cardinal forced 21 Portland State turnovers and scored 25 points off of those turnovers.
The Vikings jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, by Stanford responded with a 9-0 run with baskets from Okorie and Okpara to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Okorie scored 16 of his 26 points in the first half, and the Cardinal led at the break by seven points, 37-30.
Stanford’s poise under pressure was evident over the final 20 minutes, with the Cardinal combining to shoot 20-for-22 at the free throw line in the second frame. The Cardinal led by as many as 15 points with 6:12 remaining, and it held on for the double-digit victory.
The five-game homestand to open the Stanford season continues on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. against Montana. The contest will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra