Cardinal reaches 20-win plateau

Reserves Kenny Brown and Taj Finger sparked a big first-half run that helped No. 9 Stanford reach the 20-win plateau for the first time under fourth-year Coach Trent Johnson with a 71-56 victory over Oregon State on Saturday at Palo Alto.

The Cardinal (20-3 overall, 9-2 Pacific 10) followed a 72-43 victory over Oregon on Thursday by going on a 15-0 run to end the first half and coast to the win against the Beavers (6-17, 0-11). It marked the 15th consecutive year the Cardinal has swept the Oregon schools at Maples Pavilion.

While Oregon State lost its 13th in a row, Stanford has never been better during Johnson’s tenure. The Cardinal won its seventh consecutive conference game for the first time since the 2003-04 season, and moved to within half a game of No. 5 UCLA for first place.

Lawrence Hill’s offense is a big reason for the success, giving the Cardinal another scoring threat to team with 7-footer Brook Lopez inside.

Hill, who scored 14 points, is averaging 15 points over his last three games after scoring only 7.3 points a game in the first eight Pac-10 games.

Oregon State interim Coach Kevin Mouton, who took over when Jay John was fired last month, dropped to 0-5.

The Beavers are trying to avoid becoming the first team to go through Pac-10 play winless since the 18-game schedule began in 1978-79.

Oregon 92, California 70 – Tajuan Porter made four consecutive three-point shots during a decisive run to start the second half – and seven in all – and the Ducks made a team-record 18 three-point baskets to end a 16-game losing streak in the Bay Area dating nearly eight years.

Bryce Taylor scored Oregon’s first seven points after the break and the Ducks made seven consecutive three-point baskets – going seven for eight – over the opening 8:26 to quickly turn a two-point halftime lead into a rout. They finished 18 for 31 from long range and Taylor scored a team-high 28 points.

Porter finished with 23 points (seven for 11 from three-point range), and Taylor started the 19-6 run for Oregon (14-9, 5-6), which rebounded from its worst offensive outing since late 1991 with one of its most impressive in routing the Bears (14-8, 5-6).

The Ducks, who made only 14 baskets during a 72-43 loss Thursday at Stanford, had lost five of six and were 0-3 on the road since an 84-74 victory at Arizona on Jan. 5. Oregon ended Cal’s three-game winning streak – the Bears’ longest in Pac-10 play since they won six in a row from Jan. 26-Feb. 16, 2006 – and denied Ben Braun his 550th coaching win.