Ebuka Okorie is off to a stellar start to his freshman season at Stanford as the Cardinal prepare to host Louisiana on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-2 guard leads the Cardinal (3-0) in scoring at 25.3 points per game.
Okorie put up 26 points in the opener against Portland State, followed with 29 points versus Montana, then logged 21 points against Montana State in Stanford’s 77-68 win on Wednesday.
The New Hampshire native could cause trouble against a Louisiana team that is allowing 70.3 points per game.
“He’s a weapon,” Stanford coach Kyle Smith said. “When we get a rebound, there’s not a better feeling for a coach … get the ball in his hands.”
In the latest contest during the Cardinal’s five-game season-opening homestand, Benny Gealer added 16 points and Chisom Okpara had 15. AJ Rohosy posted 13 points, and he sank two hoops with less than two minutes to play in the second half as Stanford held off Montana State.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (1-3) are looking to get back in the win column following two defeats last week: a narrow 66-62 home loss to Tulane on Nov. 11 and a physical 88-62 road defeat to McNeese State on Friday.
Jaxon Olvera is averaging 16.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for Louisiana. He had 12 points and seven rebounds against McNeese State but shot just 4-for-14 from the floor. Dorian Finister, who leads the Ragin’ Cajuns with seven steals through four games, is coming off a 25-point outing against the Cowboys.
“Dorian responded well …,” Louisiana coach Quannas White said after the Friday loss. “He was the one bright spot. If we had anything positive to come from this game, it was him. Overall, it was really disappointing, but I was pleased with Dorian.”
Olvera and Finister have been shouldering more responsibility for the Ragin’ Cajuns since the team has been without guard Jamyron Keller, who has a foot injury.
“We just got some guys out and it really, really hurts,” White said. “Especially in a game like this (against the Cowboys), you’ve got to have a veteran point guard. Losing him these last two games really hurts a lot.”
White told reporters he hopes to have Keller back for the game at Stanford.