Jan. 20, 2007
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Brooke Smith had 17 points and nine rebounds and No. 9 Stanford overcame its worst shooting half of the season to beat Oregon State 69-55 Saturday.
Candice Wiggins added 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Cardinal (16-3, 9-0 Pac-10), who overcame an 11-point halftime deficit en route to their 14th consecutive win. It's the third-longest active streak in the nation.
Casey Nash scored 20 points to lead Oregon State (7-10, 2-6), which remained winless in Maples Pavilion in 21 tries. The Beavers haven't beaten Stanford on any court since an 81-65 win on Jan. 11, 2001, in Corvallis, Ore. Since then, the Cardinal have won 13 straight against their conference foe.
Stanford, which was held to a season-low 23 points in the first half while shooting just 33.3 percent, was much better in the second half, going on a 20-6 run in the first 5:30 to take a 43-40 lead on Wiggins' 3-pointer.
Smith then scored eight points to spark another Cardinal run before JJ Hones' driving layup pushed Stanford's lead to 61-50 with 4:04 remaining.
After getting outrebounded by the smaller, less experienced Beavers in the first half, the Cardinal dominated the glass 26-5 in the second half, holding Oregon State to one offensive rebound.
But it was Stanford's offense that sparked the turnaround. The Cardinal did not attempt a free throw in the second half, but shot 61.1 percent from the floor and led by as many as 16 points.
Jillian Harmon added 13 points and six rebounds for Stanford, which has not lost since a 74-69 defeat at then-No. 8 Georgia on Nov. 26.
The Cardinal were 10-of-30 from the field in the first half, missing several layups and putback attempts while being outhustled by Oregon State, which had four steals and forced 10 Stanford turnovers.
The Beavers had their own offensive problems for much of the first half, but pulled it together over the final 10 minutes to go on a 16-3 run and take a 34-23 lead into halftime. The 23 points were the fewest Stanford has scored in one half this season.
NOTES: This afternoon's game marked the first time all five Stanford starters played at least 30 minutes since last year's 88-70 win over Florida State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... The crowd of 3,317 was treated to a fitting halftime tribute honoring Stanford's manager of events and scheduling Kris Becker, who is leaving The Farm after 12 years of invaluable service to the department ... Stanford is now 2-2 when trailing at halftime this year. The Cardinal's 23 first-half points was a season-low for any half and fewest since the club mustered just 22 first-half points during a 55-46 win at California on Feb. 11, 2006 ... Stanford held a dominating 47-27 edge in the rebounding department. Saturday's effort on the glass comes on the heels of Thursday's season-best 55 rebounds against Oregon ... In three career games against Oregon State, Jillian Harmon has made 17-24 (50-percent) from the field while hauling down 5.6 rebounds per contest ... Stanford's 14-game winning streak ranks in a sixth-place tie for best in program history ... Oregon State's backcourt of Mercedes Fox-Griffin and Ashley Allen was held to just 5-22 shooting from the field and a combined 11 points ... Stanford was just 2-4 from the free throw line, signaling season-low for both makes and attempts ... Kristen Newlin's five blocked shots represented a season-high ... The next installment of the Inside Stanford Sports radio show is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 22. Fans are invited to attend the live 1220 AM KNTS broadcast originating from the Old Pro Restaurant at 541 Ramona Street in downtown Palo Alto from 6-7 p.m. Guests include: head coach Tara VanDerveer, Brooke Smith, Clare Bodensteiner, men's swimming assistant coach Ted Knapp and swimmer Ben Wildman-Tobriner and men's gymnasts Peter Derman and David Sender.