Jan 7, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) shoots a shot as Virginia Tech Hokies guard Jailen Bedford (0) defends during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Stanford men’s basketball defeated Virginia Tech on the road by a final score of 69-68, closing the game out on a 14-1 run over the final 2:09. Stanford freshman point guard Ebuka Okorie led the way for the Cardinal with 31 points and six assists on 11-18 shooting from the field, 4-8 shooting from 3-point range, and 5-5 shooting from the foul line while sophomore forward Donavin Young (11 points) also scored in double figures. Stanford freshman big man Oskar Giltay nearly had a double-double with eight points and 13 rebounds. Virginia Tech freshman guard Neoklis Avdalas was the top scorer for the Hokies with 21 points on 7-15 shooting from the field and 6-8 shooting from the foul line. Stanford improves to 13-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC while Virginia Tech falls to 12-4 overall and 1-2 in the ACC.

VIDEO: ACC Digital Network-Stanford Freshman Ebuka Okorie Highlights vs. Virginia Tech

BOX SCORE: Stanford at Virginia Tech-Wednesday, January 7th

Virginia Tech led Stanford 12-5 with 11:22 remaining in the first half. The Hokies had gone on a 10-0 run over the previous 3:59. Jaden Schutt had led the way for the Hokies with six points on 2-3 shooting from 3-point range.

Virginia Tech was ahead 16-14 over Stanford with 7:57 left in the half. The Cardinal had woken up as Chisom Okpara finally got on the board after knocking down a pair of free throws. Giltay had led the Cardinal with four points and five rebounds.

Virginia Tech held a 24-20 lead over Stanford with 3:58 to go in the half. Avdalas had led the Hokies with nine points on 4-5 shooting from the field and was in a nice flow. Okorie had reached five points for Stanford and was starting to get rolling a bit. Virginia Tech had shot 10-26 (38.5%) from the field, while Stanford had shot 8-24 (33.3%).

At halftime, Virginia Tech led Stanford 31-24. Avdalas had led the Hokies with 11 points. Giltay had led the Cardinal with six points and 10 rebounds. Virginia Tech had shot 5-13 from deep while Stanford had shot 2-13 from deep. Perimeter shooting had made a difference in this one.

Virginia Tech was up 37-27 with 15:46 to go. The Hokies had gone on a 6-0 run over the previous 3:12, while Stanford had endured a 3:41 scoring drought. Avdalas had increased his total to 15 points for the Hokies and seemed to be the only player in any sort of offensive flow.

The score was tied at 44-44 with 11:44 to go. Young had reached eight points for Stanford on 2-3 shooting from deep and was starting to heat up. Okorie had reached double figures for the Cardinal with 12 points. Stanford had made five consecutive field goals, while Virginia Tech had not made a field goal in the last 3:10.

Virginia Tech led 50-44 with 9:44 left. Stanford had hung around, but Virginia Tech had maintained the lead. Stanford had started to get going from deep, shooting 4-8 in the second half. Young had made two of those threes and had been huge.

Virginia Tech was ahead 57-48 with 6:20 to go. Avdalas had reached 18 points for the Hokies, while Okorie had reached 16 points for the Cardinal. It had been an even second half, with Virginia Tech outscoring Stanford 26-24. Stanford had needed to find a way to get some stops and make things interesting down the stretch by making some shots as well.

Virginia Tech led 61-52 with 4:28 to go. Okorie had reached 20 points for Stanford. Nobody else for the Cardinal had reached double figures in scoring.

With 1:06 to go, Virginia Tech led 67-63. Okorie had gone wild with 28 points after his last three-pointer. He had attacked the rim, hit threes, and done it all for the Cardinal that night, fueling an 8-0 run.

Virginia Tech led 68-66 with 16.2 seconds left after a huge 3-pointer by Young. Stanford had possession.

Okorie then hit a huge 3-pointer from well beyond the arc, giving Stanford a 69-68 lead with 3.3 seconds left.

From there, Giltay would get a steal for Stanford to clinch the game. Giltay actually scored a basket at the very end off a steal as he appeared to get fouled, but he didn’t get the shot off in time. 69-68 was the final score as Stanford escaped with the win.

For Stanford, this is a massive win. This is a Quad 1 win for their postseason resume and you can never have too many of those. They could have given up and thrown in the towel, but instead, they kept fighting and Okorie took the team on his back. This also builds even more momentum after a huge win over No. 16 Louisville on Friday.

To touch more on Ebuka Okorie, the young man is something else. He’s one of the top freshman talents in the nation and isn’t afraid of the big moment. He’s gaining more confidence in his 3-point shot, which if you combine with his ability to attack the basket and get to the foul line makes him incredibly difficult to stop. This is just yet another great performance that he can add to his freshman of the year campaign. Scoring or assisting on 40 of the final 42 points that Stanford scored.

Up next for Stanford is a road game at No. 23 Virginia on Saturday, January 10th. Tipoff is set for 11:15 AM on The CW.

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