Ebuka Okorie broke a late tie with a three-point play, Benny Gealer drilled a lead-extending 3-pointer and host Stanford used a late rally to overtake upset-minded Montana State 77-68 in a nonconference game on Wednesday.
A jumper by Jeremiah Davis gave the Bobcats (1-3) a 61-55 lead with 8:20 to play before Stanford (3-0) ran off 14 of the game’s next 16 points to take control for good.
Okorie’s three-point play came immediately following a Chris Hodges jumper that stopped an 8-0 Stanford run and tied the game at 63-all with 5:36 remaining.
Gealer then nailed his 3-pointer at the 3:57 mark to push the margin to six, from where Stanford coasted to its third straight win on a season-opening, five-game homestand.
Okorie, a freshman who started off his Stanford career with 26- and 29-point games, topped 20 for the third straight time on a 21-point night. He also found time for three assists and three steals.
Gealer chipped in with 16 points, while Chisom Okpara had 15 and AJ Rohosy 13 to complement a team-high seven rebounds and two blocks. Oskar Giltay also blocked a pair of shots for the Cardinal.
Aidan Cammann aided the Stanford cause with eight points, six rebounds and two steals.
Christian King paced the visitors with 14 points to go with seven rebounds. Patrick McMahon added 12 points, Hodges 11 and Jed Miller 10 to complement a game-high nine rebounds.
Stanford won despite getting outshot by Montana State 46.6% to 45.2% overall and outscored 21-15 on 3-pointers. Gealer did a majority of his scoring on 4-for-6 accuracy from beyond the arc, while Miller and Davian Brown each accounted for two of the Bobcats’ seven 3-pointers.
The Cardinal, who were up 36-31 at halftime, never led by more than 10 points until the final minute.
