Stanford rides hot start to win over Oregon State

Stanford (6-4 PAC) got off to a dream start. The length of Okpala smothered Beavers’ leading scorer Tres Tinkle early, the offense ran through Travis and flourished, and the scoreboard read 20-3. They never looked back, en route to an 80-71 win.

By the half, Reid Travis had scored 21 points. Until late in the twenty minute period, he was singlehandedly outpacing the output of the Beavers. The Cardinal went into the break up 43-28.

Like all games in Maples, a big lead did not mean the game was over. In the second half the Oregon State defense buckled down and forced some Stanford sloppiness. Daejon Davis picked up a series of ticky tack fouls and was sidelined for an extended period. Behind…