Recap: Benny Gealer moonball wins it for Stanford Men’s Basketball in Palm Desert
On Black Friday, Stanford men’s basketball may have benefited from a little black magic as a miraculous moonball from senior guard Benny Gealer dropped with under one second to go, giving them a 78-77 victory over Saint Louis to win the Acrisure Invitational in Palm Desert, California. It was Gealer’s only points of the night. Stanford senior forward Chisom Okpara (19 points & 6 rebounds) and freshman point guard Ebuka Okorie (17 points) were the top scorers for the Cardinal while Saint Louis guard Trey Green was the top scorer for the Billikens. Stanford improves to 6-1 overall while Saint Louis falls to 6-1.
READ: Stanford Men’s Basketball edges Minnesota in Palm Desert
BOX SCORE: Stanford vs. Saint Louis-Friday, November 28th
Stanford got off to a nice start, leading 5-0 with 19:04 to go in the half as Okorie had all five of Stanford’s points after making a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws.
Stanford would lead 10-6 with 16:17 to go in the half after Ryan Agarwal nailed a straightaway 3-pointer. AJ Rohosy also had a bucket inside for the Cardinal.
The Billikens would soon to go on 6-0 run to lead 12-10 with 14:45 to go in the half as Amari McCottry had a nice bucket in transition. Stanford called for time, hoping to get momentum back on their side.
Saint Louis would make it a 10-0 run to lead 16-10 as McCottry was up to six points. A bucket by Aidan Cammann for Stanford ended the run, making it 16-12 with 12:40 to go in the half.
With 11:09 to go in the half, Saint Louis led 21-12 after a nice corner three by Ishan Sharma. The Billikens had all the momentum.
With 9:19 to go in the half, it was a 26-13 lead for the Billikens as they were on a 20-3 run. Stanford had gone icy cold.
After back-to-back threes from Cammann and Okorie and Okorie going 2-2 at the foul line, Stanford was down 28-21 with 6:51 to go in the half. Okorie was up to 11 points as he was keeping the Cardinal in it.
At halftime, it was a 47-36 lead for Saint Louis. Green was leading the way for the Billikens with 12 points while Okorie was leading Stanford with 14 points. The Billikens were definitely in command, but a corner 3-pointer by Okpara gave the Cardinal a bit of momentum heading into the tunnel. Stanford’s 6-13 shooting from deep was a major plus for them while Saint Louis’ bench was doing their job, outscoring Stanford’s bench 15-5.
With 15:55 to go, Saint Louis led 53-42. The Cardinal came out with good energy in the second half, but the Billikens so far were doing a good job of fending them off.
Stanford soon would go on an 8-0 run to make it 53-48 with 14:03 to go after a triple and three-point play by Okpara. He was starting to find his groove both inside and out.
Stanford would get down 55-52 with 9:44 to go after Okorie found Okpara for a transition slam. The Cardinal were squarely back in the game and now had momentum gaining on their side as Saint Louis had 0 field goals in 7+ minutes.
With 7:15 to go, it was tied up 60-60 after a pair of clutch threes from Jeremy Dent-Smith. He was starting to catch fire for Stanford. Dent-Smith would then make a third triple to make it 65-62 with 5:23 to go. He was continuing to feel it as the Cardinal had their first lead of the night.
With 3:27 to go, Saint Louis was back in front 68-67. If the Cardinal were going to win, the Billikens were gonna make them earn it. Stanford would tie it up 68-68 after Rohosy went 1-2 at the foul line.
With 1:50 to go, Saint Louis led 71-68 after a huge 3-pointer by Sharma. It was crunch time now. On the next possession, Dent-Smith answered with his fourth 3-pointer of the half. It was now tied 71-71 with 1:27 to go.
Saint Louis would soon go up 75-71. With 20.7 to go, Stanford had the rock, in need of a basket. Miraculously, Agarwal threw up a prayer from 3-point range that went in as he was looking to draw a foul. Saint Louis then made a pair of free throws to lead 77-74 with 9.7 to go.
Okorie then got fouled attempting a 3-pointer, but it was called on the floor. Okorie went 1-2 at the foul line. Off the rebound, Benny Gealer attempted a corner 3-pointer for the win and splash! Nothing but net. 78-77 Stanford got the win.
For Stanford, this is a huge win. Saint Louis is a quality team and to follow up their win over Minnesota with a win over Saint Louis has to feel good. On top of that, it was a tournament, so they come back to The Farm with a trophy. All around a great performance as Okpara and Okorie led the way while others around them stepped up when needed. This was truly a team effort. Dent-Smith and Agarwal coming up big from deep, etc.
Up next for Stanford is a home game against Portland on Monday, December 1st. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM PT on ACCNX.
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