The Stanford Cardinal (14-13, 6-9 Pac-12) handily defeated the Oregon State Beavers (5-24, 1-15 Pac-12) 79-66 in a Pac-12 men’s basketball matchup Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion to capture their second straight conference victory.
Stanford scored the first seven points of the game and did not look back as they held the lead for the entire contest. The Cardinal led by as many as 25 points in the second half before Oregon State made a furious run late in the game that was simply too little too late for the Beavers.
“The way we’re playing now is great for this time of year,” said junior forward Reid Travis. “I feel like we’re really taking off.”
Stanford shot 57 percent from the field and was led in scoring by senior guard Marcus Allen and Travis, who both nabbed 17 points. Junior guard Dorian Pickens also contributed 15 points for the Cardinal.
The majority of Stanford’s points came from the inside, as the Cardinal accumulated 46 points in the paint to Oregon State’s 22.
“For us to be at our best, we’re going to score from the free throw line, like we did in the Cal game, or score around the basket,” said head coach Jerod Haase “Smash-mouth is a football term, but if it was a basketball term, I think that would be a good word for us.”
As for the Beavers, they were paced by sophomore big men Drew Eubanks and Gligorije Rakocevic, who had 21 and 16 points, respectively. Eubanks had a double-double, pulling down 14 boards as well.
The Stanford defense was as active as ever, grabbing 13 steals as a team and forcing 21 turnovers overall. The Cardinal capitalized with 21 points off of those turnovers in the game.
“We’re trying to play fundamentally sound basketball and keep people out of the paint and be really active from there … the guys are just playing their tails off,” said Haase.
The Cardinal wasted no time getting on the board, as they scored seven points in 1:12 to establish an early lead that they would later refuse to relinquish. Although the Beavers kept it close early in the first half, the Cardinal crept out of striking distance one scoring run at a time, holding a 15-point lead with 5:20 remaining in the first and a 43-33 lead at half.
Stanford showed no signs of letting up for the most of the second half, and garbage time seemed imminent as the Cardinal held a 25-point advantage with 7:47 remaining after sophomore guard Marcus Sheffield knocked down a pair of free throws.
But the Beavers suddenly showed signs of life, scoring 12 unanswered points in just over two minutes, and eventually brought the Stanford lead down to 12. It was far too late for Oregon State, however, and the Cardinal were able to kill the clock to secure a win in their penultimate home game.
“We’re pointing in the right direction on both ends of the floor,” said Marcus Allen. “[The] guys are getting good looks, and on defense we’re more active. Hopefully, that continues.”
The Cardinal will look to distance themselves from Arizona State and Colorado, with whom they are now tied at seventh in the Pac-12, with a win against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks at Maples Pavilion on Saturday. That game will tip-off at 1 p.m. and will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.
Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu