Freshman Ebuka Okorie drops 40 points in win against Georgia Tech

Freshman guard Ebuka Okorie scored a career-high 40 points on Saturday, leading Stanford men’s basketball (15-9, 4-7 ACC) to a commanding victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-13, 2-9 ACC) in Maples Pavilion. 

Okorie scored the most points by a Stanford player since 2005, surpassing Chris Hernandez ’06’s 37-point performance. He also extended his freshman scoring record by four points, which he first set in January against North Carolina. 

“He had some ridiculous layups and saw on the board that someone had 38,” said head coach Kyle Smith. “I was like, ‘I guess it was him. He’s the best freshman I’ve coached.”’

The first half saw a back and forth effort between Stanford and Georgia Tech, with the Cardinal ending the half with a four-point lead. The Cardinal managed to dominate their way through the second half, extending their lead to 23 through offensive efforts from Okorie, graduate guard Jeremy Dent-Smith and graduate forward AJ Rohosy.

This win ended Stanford’s five-game losing streak, reigniting their hopes of a spot to the March Madness Tournament.

“We had to get this win for Coach [Smith],” said sophomore forward Donavin Young. Okorie nodded in agreement.

Smith attributed the win to game pace and offensive adjustments.

“I think we did a better job controlling the tempo,” said Smith. “Pick-and-roll and low post was good for us.”

Stanford opened up the game with a 25-foot three-pointer from senior guard Benny Gealer. On the following possession, redshirt junior forward Ryan Agarwal scored a fast-break layup after a steal from freshman center Oskar Giltay. 

Young stepped up early in the first half, making a six-foot turnaround jump shot. The very next drive saw Young deflect a pass, which led to an Okorie midrange jumper. Young ended the half with two steals and two blocks. 

“He was more aggressive offensively,” Smith said about Young. “We were [up] 30 when he was on the floor.”

Bad passing turnovers limited the Cardinal’s offensive production, allowing the Yellow Jackets to go on a 7-0 run midway through the first half to take the lead. Rohosy ended Georgia Tech’s run with a fanatic dunk assisted by Dent-Smith. Okorie proceeded to go on an offensive tear, nailing a step back three-pointer and an and-one layup, leading to a Stanford 11-2 run. The Yellow Jackets responded, reducing the deficit to four by the end of the first half.

Rohosy started the second half aggressively, scoring the Cardinal’s first six points and causing a turnover on the defensive end. 

“[Rohosy] was good,” Smith said. “Nice bounce-back for him, giving us a low post.”

Okorie and Dent-Smith added to this offensive spark, extending Stanford’s lead to 13. The Yellow Jackets managed to reduce the deficit to six but still couldn’t stop the offensive wizardry from the Cardinal, as Dent-Smith nailed a three-pointer and tough fast-break layup.

With 1:26 left in the second half, Okorie swished two free throws, securing his career-high 40 points. The freshman guard exited the game to an eruption of applause from the fans in attendance. The Cardinal secured the 95-73 win.

Young spoke highly of Okorie’s record-breaking performance.

“It’s amazing, seeing him run the court and just push through everyone for the fast break,” Young said. “It’s a blessing to have him out there.”

Okorie’s 40-point game received praise from the opposing team’s head coach, former NBA guard Damon Stoudemire.

“It’s cool getting a lot of praise from players like him,” Okorie said. “It’s good to see my hard work paying off.” 

Stanford men’s basketball will head to the east coast to face ACC opponent Boston College (9-14, 2-8 ACC) on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

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