Stanford (7-1) led nearly wire-to-wire on their way to a 94-72 win over Portland (5-4).
After an emotional tournament championship at the Acrisure Invitational, capped by the improbable buzzer-beater from Benny Gealer, it would’ve been easy to have had a letdown. That simply wasn’t the case. Ebuka Okorie dazzled early on, with 10 points and 2 assists in the first frame. But once again, it was the Cardinal defense that really made things go, highlighted by an early pocket-pick and fastbreak layup from Benny.
The Cardinal converted 10 first half turnovers from Portland into a 22-0 advantage in points off turnovers. They used this staggering disparity to take a 51-31 lead into the locker room. Stanford averaged 1.65 points per possession in the first 20 minutes, with shooting splits of 56/58/80. Their 11 first half threes were the most in two seasons, since setting the school record against Bronny James and USC. Five different players made at least two threes each in the half.
The start of the second half continued more of the onslaught by Kyle Smith’s crew. A pair of threes from Jeremy Dent-Smith, his fourth and fifth of the night, pushed the lead to 71-46 with 12 minutes to go. Jeremy made 4 threes in Friday’s championship victory over Saint Louis, and is showcasing defense-stretching range that will command respect moving forward. His 16 points tonight were a Stanford career high, but not the most for him against a Division 1 opponent. He had 21 two seasons ago against a Long Beach State team that made the NCAA tournament.
The game was also something of a coming out party for Oskar Giltay. The freshman center tallied 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals in 21 minutes of action, all career highs. Oskar was an effective player in the professional Belgium-Netherlands league as a teenager, and has excelled in limited minutes this season. His defensive impact is even more significant than what shows up in the box score. As his back continues to heal, he gives Stanford another asset inside.
After the high water mark of a 25 point lead, the Cardinal shooting waned. Nevertheless, they eclipsed 90 points for the third time in this young season, with a season-high of 94. That was all done with Ebuka Okorie going scoreless in the second half.
The Cardinal finished with six players in double figures for the first time since November 2015. Benny Gealer had 15 points, Chisom Okpara contributed 14, and Ryan Agarwal scored a season-high 10. Stanford scored 33 points off 18 Portland turnovers, and attempted 17 more shots than the Pilots.
Benny Gealer has one of the lowest usage rates on the team, but is shooting blistering splits of 45/47/92. He also has a 3.2 assist-turnover ratio, and is averaging 1.8 steals per game. Add in a game-winning rainbow shot for the ages and a tournament MVP award, and Benny is having a senior year non-conference to be remembered.