The Future Is Now: Oregon State Defeats No. 15 Stanford, 86-77

Youth was finally served in the Pacific 10 Conference Saturday night.

Corey Benjamin, one of five freshman who play regularly for Oregon State, scored 26 points to lead the Beavers to a 86-77 victory over 15th-ranked Stanford at Corvallis, Ore.

The loss knocked the Cardinal, 11-3 overall and 4-2 in the Pacific 10, out of a first-place with UCLA. Oregon State (5-9, 1-4) ended a losing streak at five games.

“Everybody knows that there’s something good down the road,” Oregon State Coach Eddie Payne said, “but we needed to have something happen here soon, because it was getting to be a burden.”

Benjamin, coming off a career-best 31 points against California Thursday, scored 16 of his game-high total in the first 9 1/2 minutes of the second half. He made six of nine from three-point shots.

Two other freshman figured prominently for Oregon State. Guard Ron Grady had a career-best 24 points and Carson Cunningham made 14 of 17 free throws, nine in the final 2:38.

Stanford point guard Brevin Knight, bothered by a sore hip, had 16 points and eight assists. Center Tim Young, coming off a 20-point, 21-rebound effort against Oregon Thursday, had five points and took only four shots. He also had five rebounds and six turnovers.

California 73, No. 24 Oregon 62--Guard Ed Gray had 30 points, including seven during a 13-2 run that broke a tie game in the final minutes for the Bears (12-5, 3-3) at Eugene, Ore.

Guard Jamar Curry led Oregon (10-4, 1-4) with 20 points but Jamal Lawrence--the team’s second-leading scorer--had only five points and missed seven of eight three-point shots. Lawrence made eight of 11 three-point shots and had a season-high 29 points against Stanford Thursday.

Washington 74, Washington State 72--Center Todd MacCulloch scored on a layup with 17 seconds left to provide the decisive points for the Huskies (10-3, 3-2) at Pullman, Wash.

It was MacCulloch’s second consecutive game-deciding shot, with his layup with four seconds left beating Oregon last Saturday. MacCulloch had 20 points and 16 rebounds.

Guard Isaac Fontaine, who had 31 points for Washington State (10-6, 2-3), missed a shot that was challenged by MacCullough as time ran out. Forward Carlos Daniel, the Cougars’ leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, was suspended after being arrested Thursday on a shoplifting charge.