When it comes to playing on the road, the Cardinal saved its best for last.

After losing its first 10 road games of the season, Stanford (13-14, 7-8 Pac-10) earned its first sweep on the road since 2008 with a solid 65-55 victory over Oregon State (12-14, 6-8 Pac-10) Saturday.

The Cardinal was led by a balanced attack, getting 16 points from senior wing Landry Fields, 15 from sophomore guard Jeremy Green and 11 from sophomore center Jack Trotter. Head coach Johnny Dawkins’ squad was also aided by timely shooting from three-point range (9-18) and the free-throw line (10-13), highlighted by senior point guard Drew Shiller’s three three-pointers, which helped the Cardinal pull away from the Beavers in the second half.

“It was just a huge win for us,” Shiller said. “This was a big weekend for us; we knew we could win both [games] if we played well. For us to sneak both on the road is a huge momentum boost.”

Stanford’s defense also played an important role in the win as the Cardinal held Oregon State to just 41 percent shooting. The performance may not have been as impressive as holding the Beavers to 35 points — as the Cardinal did in the first meeting between the squads — but Dawkins was still pleased.

“I thought we did a great job of defending,” he said. “Our guys really focused in.”

There were multiple lead changes throughout the first half before the Beavers took a 30-28 lead going into the locker room. Stanford would buckle down in the second half, however, claiming a 41-38 lead after a three-pointer by Green at the 15-minute mark. The Cardinal would never trail again.

A Shiller three-pointer with just under five minutes to go made the score 59-50, effectively putting the game out of reach. Shiller was key in the Cardinal’s victory for the second straight game, hitting big shots at important points throughout the second half.

“I don’t feel like I’m pressing, I’m just letting the game come to me,” the senior said in regard to his recent production on offense.

Also notable was Fields’ performance though, by his standards, he struggled on offense for much of Saturday’s contest. Fields still managed to lead his team in scoring, and he filled the box score as much as any forward can with 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.

“Landry Fields had six assists and no turnovers,” Shiller said. “If that’s considered an off-night, then I’d like to be in his shoes.”

Dawkins also had nothing but praise for his senior star.

“I think you see a kid who’s playing inspired,” he said. “He wants to do everything in his power to give us a successful season, so I’m just very proud of his development.”

Stanford had little trouble with Oregon State’s 1-3-1 zone, as Beavers’ head coach Craig Robinson eventually pulled back the defense for much of the second half. Shiller attributed the Cardinal’s success to experience with the defense.

“I think a big help was that we played them four times last year,” he said. “You can simulate it in practice but going out there against it really helps. We are very experienced with it and know exactly how to beat it. We took them out of it.”

The weekend sweep over the Ducks and Beavers puts the Cardinal in a much more favorable position than it was going into the weekend, as it will most likely not have to compete in the play-in round of the Pac-10 Tournament (the eighth and ninth place teams will compete for the eighth spot).

Most importantly, though, the Cardinal was able to exorcise the road demons which have haunted the team all season. Stanford will undoubtedly be able to breathe a bit easier after getting the road monkey off its back.

That relief came at just the right time, as the team has a chance to finish the season with at least a .500 record in conference play now. The task will not be easy, though, as the Cardinal finishes its regular season off at home against three of the conference’s top five teams: Arizona State, Arizona and archrival Cal.

Tip off against Arizona State will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Maples Pavilion.