Dominant Second Half Propels Stanford over Colorado

Stanford was propelled by their returning star player

Dec 7, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) dribbles upcourt while defended by UNLV Runnin' Rebels guard Al Green (7) in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Stanford basketball is on its way back.

On Saturday afternoon, the Stanford Cardinal took on the Colorado Buffaloes in a former Pac 12 battle. Coming in, both teams had solid starts to the year, as Stanford had begun 9-2 with wins over Minnesota and St. Louis, while Colorado was 10-1 with wins over Washington, Providence, and San Francisco.

Both teams had good resumes, but a win on Saturday would further someone's legitimacy late in non-conference play.

Before the game, a massive announcement came out for the Cardinal, as star freshman Ebuka Okorie would in fact be back to play against the Buffs. That later turned out to be huge for the Cardinal.

Both teams fought hard in this one, but Stanford was able to take over in the second half, ultimately winning 77-68.

Colorado got off to a successful start, putting up a quick seven points to Stanford’s three. But that lead only lasted so long, as Stanford quickly brought it back. The entire first half was very back and forth, as neither team was truly able to create too much distance. Colorado entered halftime with a 35-33 edge.

The second half was much better for Stanford. They controlled the game much better, and were able to build a pretty steady lead, thanks to an absurd 26-9 run to take a 15-point, 59-44 lead near the under eight minute timeout.

Stanford was able to finish the game off with ease, pushing their lead to as many as 16 on an Oskar Gitlay hook that fell. With about 3:30 remaining, the Cardinal were leading by 12, and Colorado wouldn't get any closer than seven back down the stretch.

It was expected that it would be a depth piece taking over for Stanford due to the predicted absence of Okorie, but he came back and had arguably his best game of the season. The freshman put up 32 points on 6-of-13 shooting, hitting an absurd 18 free throws on 21 tries. At this point, it’s Okorie’s world, and we're just living in it.

Benny Gealer and Chisom Okpara played their parts, having another ‘senior’ type of game with 13 and 11 points respectively. Freshman Oskar Giltay was huge off the bench with 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Colorado was led by Barrington Hargress, who had 16 points and 6 assists in the loss. Sebastian Rancik put up 14 points and 8 rebounds as well to help the Buffs.

The Cardinal looked incredible in the win, especially with Okorie added back to the roster. Stanford was able to dominate on all fronts, and take over the game in the second half. They have now built some much needed momentum that will be crucial when they take on tough ACC opponents in the new year.

Stanford now has a week-long break before taking on Cal State Northridge next Saturday in their final game of non-conference action before starting ACC play. The Cardinal beat the Matadors last season in the first round of the NIT.