Ebuka Okorie Stanford Cardinal guard takes the ball up the floor against the Northridge Matadors in NCAA action at Maples Pavilion on Sat Dec 27, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)
By Michael Roberson
STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (11-2, 0-0 ACC) ended their non-conference schedule with a convincing 88-80 victory over the California State University – Northridge Matadors (8-6, 1-1 Big West), Saturday Evening on the Farm.
CSUN got the scoring going in the Golden State battle with a single free throw conversion. That slight lead was a theme for the first half and the Southern Californian guests. The first 20 minutes was competitive, with six lead changes and three ties.
However, the Matadors dominated the time of leadership (17:20), despite the early back and forth scuffle. CSUN shot 50% from both the floor and beyond the arc.. Stanford, on the other hand, was a putrid 36% from 2, and 17% from Threeland. They also led by a high of 9 points, and had two significant runs (6-0 & 7-0). While the Cardinal led by two for their highest lead, but kept themself at a single-digit deficit (5) by recess, 38-33.
During the initial 20-minute block, only two players eclipsed the 10+ points plateau. Chisom Okpara scored 14 points for the Cardinal, and senior guard Larry Hughes II put up an impressive 19 points, with five 3-pointers on a scintillating shooting clip. Hughes is the son of former NBA player Larry Hughes.
After the intermission, the Cardinal went on a 13-0 run to start the second half in under two minutes of gametime play. They went from trailing by five, to being up by eight in the blink of an eye. Freshman sensation Ebuka Okorie was the key hooper to spearhead that TREEmendous push. He more than doubled his first half output and made school history again in his brief tenure on the Farm.
Okorie’s 30 points marked the second straight game (32) for him amassing at least that amount of point production. Last time it was done in 2010 by Landry Fields. However, Fields was a senior, so Okorie is the only freshman to do the unprecedented Cardinal deed.
CSUN did not give up the fight, as they managed to be tied twice, and lost the lead change permanently. Hughes II added a modest seven points to his total, but they needed a little more to take down the Tree. Four other teammates contributed double-figure scoring, but it was not enough after the 40-minute time limit elapsed. Stanford parlayed that second half explosion into an eight points victory, 88-80.
Okorie led all players with 30 points, while Okpara aided his teammate with 20 points of his own, Benny Gealer chipped in 13 points and five assists. Ryan Agarwal delivered 10 points and eight rebounds to the Cardinal.
Hughes II topped the Matadors with his 26 points, while Joshua O’Garro (15), Davius Lowery (11), Mahmoud Fofana (11) and Josiah Davis (10) all did their part for CSUN.
The Cardinal will next be in action Tuesday, December 30 here at Maples hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and opening ACC play at 6 PM PT on ESPN2. CSUN will next play in 2026 as they travel to UC – Davis to take on the Aggies on New Year’s Day at 2 PM PT on ESPN+
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