Stanford seeks its third win in a row when it visits Notre Dame on Wednesday evening in South Bend, Ind.
This marks the second time this season that these foes have faced off. Notre Dame won the low-scoring reverse fixture 47-40 at Stanford on Dec. 30.
The Cardinal (18-11, 7-9 ACC) will be a confident bunch heading into Wednesday’s tilt after they dominated SMU 95-75 their last time out.
Benny Gealer posted a career-high 30 points and added four rebounds and six steals. Ebuka Okorie added 22 points and six assists, and Aidan Cammann had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Stanford shot 51.9% from 3-point range and 29 of 32 (90.6%) from the free-throw line, with Gealer going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc.
“We played really well,” Stanford head coach Kyle Smith said. “And Benny Gealer, who has meant so much to this team … He earned every minute through his practice and hard work, and he’s just gotten better. He’s our captain. He’s our clear-cut leader. Obviously, Ebuka’s a great player, but he’s as important to this team as Ebuka.”
The Fighting Irish (13-16, 4-12) won’t be easy to beat in their last home game, and they have gone 10-6 as hosts this season. Notre Dame is coming off a 96-90 overtime win against North Carolina State, where a second-half rally helped the home team tie the game 81-81 and push for OT.
Cole Certa led the way with 32 points, going 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Jalen Haralson added 25 points and nine rebounds, including two clutch free throws to tie the game at the end of regulation. Braeden Shrewsberry had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“I didn’t think we started the game the right way, but a couple of guys came in and spurred us in the first half to get back close and manageable,” Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “I thought we scored it well, but I didn’t think we could guard them in stretches.”
Okorie leads Stanford with 22.7 points per game but was held to seven on just 3-of-14 shooting in the first Notre Dame matchup. Haralson, who paces Notre Dame at 15.9 ppg, scored 13 at Stanford.
