CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP)-- Stanford turned to its defense when it needed a boost Saturday, and the No. 11 Cardinal found the right answer.
Jayne Appel scored 16 of her game-high 18 points in the second half as Stanford used a 19-2 run to pull away from Oregon State for a 69-54 Pacific-10 Conference win.
Oregon State (11-7, 2-6) had erased an eight-point deficit midway through the second half when Stanford (15-4, 6-1) turned up the defensive pressure and began trapping.
They held the host Beavers to just two points during an eight-minute stretch to put the game away.
"I think we just really got to work on defense," said Appel, a junior post who also had a dozen rebounds.
Added Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer: "We made some shots and got some good stops. The team was working hard on defense, so I was pleased with that."
VanDerveer also credited the play of freshman forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike off the bench. Ogwumike had four points during that 19-2 run and finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
"Rebounded, scored, just really made good decisions," VanDerVeer said of Ogwumike. "I thought she was really a spark for us."
In all, five Stanford players scored in double figures. Jillian Harmon and Jeanette Pohlen had 12 points apiece and Kayla Pedersen added 10.
Alex Mitchell had 14 points and Brittney Davis 10 to lead Oregon State.
The Beavers rallied several times, but could never overtake the Cardinal.
After Ogwumike put the Cardinal ahead 14-7, Kirsten Tilleman's short jumper pulled Oregon State within 18-16, and Davis' layin tied the game at 20-20.
Tiffany Ducker's basket put Oregon State ahead 24-23 with 3:41 remaining, and the Beavers led 28-27 at halftime.
But Stanford opened the second half with a 14-5 run, including 11 straight to lead.
Oregon State bounced back, eventually tying the game at 46-46 on a Talisa Rhea 3-pointer with 10:43 remaining.
But from there it was all Stanford. The Cardinal scored 15 straight to lead 65-48 with 2:48 left.
Stanford has played five of its first seven conference games on the road. The only defeat came against current No. 8 California, a 57-54 road loss on Jan. 18.
Game Notes
- With Saturday's victory, Stanford now leads the all-time series against Oregon State by a 42-6 margin
- The victory is also Stanford's 18th straight over Oregon State and the 34th in the last 36 meetings between the two schools
- Jayne Appel recorded her 10th double-double of the season finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds
- Five Stanford players scored in double figures Saturday night, marking the second consecutive game and fourth overall that the Cardinal have pulled the feat
- Jayne Appel went 6-for-8 from the field Saturday (75.0 percent), finishing the weekend 16-for-19 (84.2 percent) overall
- Stanford's 53.7-percent mark from the field is the eighth game this season in which the team made at least half of its field-goal attempts
- Stanford's four post players (Jayne Appel, Kayla Pedersen, Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Sarah Boothe) shot a combined 18-for-26 (69.2 percent) Saturday night
- With 12 points in the contest, Jillian Harmon increased her career total to 909, just 91 points away from becoming the 29th member of Stanford's "1,000-Point Club"
- The Cardinal's 18 assists Saturday night marked the 12th time this season that the team recorded at least 18 assists in a game
- Jillian Harmon closed out her final trip to her home state with sixth double-digit scoring performance of the season