Tale of Two Halves Helps Stanford Take Down CSU Northridge

Ebuka Okorie is a man on fire

Dec 27, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) reacts after making a three point basket against the CSUN Matadors during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Over the weekend, Stanford matched up with Cal State Northridge in a key matchup to end non-conference play for the 2025-26 campaign.

Coming in, the Cardinal had lots of expectations. Despite a pair of losses to mid-major opponents at home, Stanford not only had momentum, but had big wins under their belts as well. Coming off of a victory over then 10-1 Colorado at a neutral site proved that the Cardinal are a legit team this season.

CSU Northridge also came in hot, winning four straight going into the weekend battle, including victories over Fresno State and Sac State. However, the Matadors were a streaky opponent and could be on or off on any given night.

This game was also interesting for many reasons. Both teams played on December 27th, the first DI vs DI game in four days due to the holidays. That meant many eyes were on Stanford to win big against the CSU Northridge.

It was apparent early that the Matadors came to play. They took an early lead courtesy of Larry Hughes II, who dominated the Cardinal in the first half, putting up 19 before the break.

CSU Northridge led 9-4, 17-13, and even built the lead to nine, 36-27. By halftime, it was 38-33 with the Matadors ahead, and it was looking like another upset loss at home could be on the docket for the Cardinal to close out the non-conference schedule. But then Stanford turned it into a tale of two halves.

Ebuka Okorie started the second half with a three pointer after being held to nine points in the first half, and that was followed by a Chisom Okpara assist and then another Okorie three. Just over a minute into the second half, the Cardinal held a 41-38 lead. They would build their lead all the way up to 12 about five minutes into the second.

However, the Matadors didn’t go away. A big 10-0 just after the midway point of the half tied it, but they weren’t able to maintain that play against the talented Cardinal roster. With under a minute to go, Oskar Giltay dunked the ball to conclude the victory, sealing the Stanford victory, 88-80.

Okorie led the Cardinal, as he does almost every game, putting up his second-highest point total of the season, 30 points. His dominance early in the second half helped Stanford pull out the win, as he finished with 21 second-half points.

Okpara had another stellar performance with 20 points of his own, including an incredible 11 free throws made. Benny Gealer also played well with 13 points, while Agarwal had 10 and an important 8 rebounds.

Hughes II did everything for the Matadors, finishing with 26 points, thanks to hitting six three pointers in the process. Joshua O’Garro had a crucial 15 points and 6 rebounds to help, while Mahmoud Fofana had 11 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.

While it wasn’t convincing, the Cardinal now have won four straight, and go into ACC play at 11-2. They will host arch rival Notre Dame on December 30th, before ranked Louisville comes to The Farm to begin the new year on January 2nd.