Stanford Takes Down UT Arlington Without Star Guard

Dec 17, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Chisom Okpara (10) dribbles upcourt while defended by Texas-Arlington Mavericks forward Raysean Seamster (2) and forward/center Cameron Jackson (34) in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, Stanford took on UT Arlington in a non-conference battle. The game was expected to be filled with intrigue, as the Mavericks unique guard-heavy scheme matched up interestingly against a dynamic guard duo of Benny Gealer and Jeremy Dent-Smith.

The Cardinal came favored by double digits, and they delivered.

Stanford began the game extremely hot. They led 14-4 at the first media timeout, courtesy of Benny Gealer’s dominance on both sides of the ball. They eventually brought the lead up to 21-7, and then up to 29-19 at the final media timeout of the first half before going into the break up 40-25. Stanford was holding a consistent lead over the visiting tea throughout the first half.

Stanford got off to a solid start in the second half, but the Mavericks did a nice job at containing the Cardinal from building a bigger lead. The lead was around 15 throughout the entire second half, with the Cardinal not able to pull away, but the Mavericks also not able get any closer.

Stanford ended the game strong, winning 74-60, with a great defensive performance.

Without standout freshman Ebuka Okorie, who missed his second straight game, the worry was that the Cardinal may not have been able to look as strong in their guard play, but the opposite ended up happening. Gealer and Dent-Smith looked absolutely great, with Gealer recording 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists and Dent-Smith putting up 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists.

But it wasn’t just their scoring that made people take notice. Both also passed the ball well, and created open space all game. They just needed to work on their press break a bit at the end of a game.

The Stanford big men looked good once again as well. Chisom Okpara had 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, and AJ Rohosy had a second straight great game with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists following his great performance at San Jose State.

Even players such as Jaylen Thompson, who don’t typically get consistent minutes, were able to get significant minutes in the game with the Cardinal leading.

The Stanford defense was great as a whole. They allowed just 60 points and absolutely locked up the Mavericks star Raysean Seamster, who recorded just 7 points on 2-of-7 shooting despite being a consistent 15 points per game player.

Outside of Seamster, no Maverick truly showed out. Casmir Chavis was able to put up 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Marcell McCreary had 12-4-3 to help UT Arlington out. However, it was not enough in the end.

Stanford now sits at 9-2 and will travel to Phoenix on Saturday to take on former Pac 12 rival Colorado in the Hall of Fame Series. They will be on the lookout for their 10th win of the year, and to continue to building momentum before conference play begins in January.