CORVALLIS, Ore.- Despite a 30-point effort from Chasson Randle, Stanford dropped an 81-72 decision to Oregon State on Thursday night in its Pac-12 road opener.
Stanford (9-5, 0-2 Pac-12) crept to within a bucket three times over the final 10 minutes but Oregon State (9-6, 1-2 Pac-12) held off each charge.
The Cardinal also received a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds from Dwight Powell and 11 points from Stefan Nastic.
Stanford, which had previously won four in a row against Oregon State, shot 41.4 percent overall but only 2-8 from long distance. Oregon State converted 47.2 percent overall and was 8-15 from three-point territory.
A 22-25 clip from the foul line (17-18 in the second half) helped Stanford remain within striking distance until Oregon State iced the game.
Oregon State was led by Roberto Nelson’s 21 points while Eric Moreland registered a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds in his third contest following a 12-game suspension for an unspecific violation of team rules.
The Beavers took a quick 12-6 lead behind seven points from Nelson, but Stanford scored seven unanswered points.
Midway through the first half, Angus Brandt’s rebound-dunk triggered a 10-0 run and the Beavers eventually took a 37-32 lead into the locker room.
Stanford cut Oregon State’s lead down to one possession three times in the second half, the last of which came following a three-point play from Randle to make it 68-66 with 2:59 remaining.
However, Hallice Cooke responded with a three-pointer on the next trip down the floor, and a bucket from Brandt one minute later pushed Oregon State’s lead to 73-66.
Stanford next faces No. 17/13 Oregon on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Cardinal is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start in conference play since dropping its first three contests in 2005.
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NOTES: Stanford suffered its first loss to Oregon State since a 69-67 defeat on March 9, 2011 in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament … Oregon State led 37-32 at halftime, signaling the first time in four games the margin at intermission between the two teams had been greater than two … Chasson Randle notched his second 30-point game of the season and third of his career. Randle has reached double figures in 13 of Stanford’s 14 games and is 30-35 (85.7 percent) from the foul line over the last four games … Dwight Powell tallied his fourth double-double of the year and 17th career. Powell recovered nicely after laboring through a first half in which he scored three points on 1-6 shooting … Stefan Nastic reached double figures for the seventh time this year and is shooting 19-24 (79.2 percent) from the field over his last four games … Marcus Allen’s jumper at the 12:02 mark of the second half represented Stanford’s first bucket from a bench player since John Gage knocked down a three-pointer at the 10:43 mark in the second half against Cal Poly on Dec. 29 … Eric Moreland’s 15 rebounds were the most by an opposing player since Colorado’s Andre Roberson grabbed 20 on Jan. 24, 2013 … Josh Huestis fouled out for only the third time in his career.