Freshman forward Anthony Brown recorded career highs on Saturday night with 21 points and eight rebounds, helping the Stanford men’s basketball team beat Oregon State, 70-56, and snap a four-game losing streak.

The Cardinal (11-9, 4-5 Pac-10) surpassed 60 points for the first time in eight games behind 50-percent shooting from the field. Brown, who notched his first start of the season, hit seven of his 11 attempts in 37 minutes of action.

“It’s great to get the W,“ Brown said. “It’s been a long time since we got a win. I just wanted to be a sparkplug. I tried to be a little more vocal and get everyone to keep fighting.“

Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins had high praise for his emerging freshman star.

“Anthony has been working really hard, and he’s getting better,” Dawkins said. “I was really proud of his effort tonight. I knew he could score, but I wanted to see how he rebounded. He stuffed the stat sheet tonight.”

Brown was not the only Stanford player who made his presence felt across all facets of the game. Despite attempting just a single shot in the first half, redshirt junior forward Josh Owens finished the game with 14 points, complementing his eight rebounds and two blocks. Owens was the recipient of multiple second-half alley-oops, hooking up several times with junior guard Jarrett Mann, who finished the game with seven assists.

Dawkins, critical of Owens’ lack of touches in the team’s loss to Oregon, was pleased to see his dominant forward take initiative in the second half on Saturday.

“I tried to explain to Josh at half that he has to do a better job asserting himself,” Dawkins said. “I thought in the second half he did a better job. “

The Cardinal was able to overcome another careless game after finding a solution to the Beavers’ (8-12, 3-6) press. The two teams combined for 37 turnovers on the night, with most stemming from lazy cross-court passes and high-pressure defense.

Freshman guard Ahmad Starks led the way for Oregon State, scoring a career-high 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting. The pint-sized player was able to slash his way through a Stanford backcourt that’s faced its fair share of troubles with quick guards in the last decade.

The Cardinal sped out of the gates, going on a 13-2 run to open the game behind three-pointers by Brown and Green. Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson, brother of First Lady Michelle Obama, quickly resorted to a full-court press that slowed down the Stanford attack.

The Beavers fought back and took their first lead of the game, 28-27, with 2:57 left in the half. The Cardinal looked destined for another sub-60 point performance, but a Brown three put Stanford ahead, 31-30, at the break.

Neither team was able to pull ahead at the beginning of the second half. Oregon State sophomore guard Jared Cunningham, who entered the game as the Beaver’s leading scorer at over 14 points per game, scored his first and only point of the contest at the 12:00 mark by splitting a pair of free throws. Cunningham battled foul trouble all game and eventually fouled out, sealing his worst outing of the season.

Dawkins gave credit to Mann’s defensive effort when addressing Cunningham’s struggles.

“I’m really proud of Jarrett,” he said. “He looks forward to guarding the opposing team’s best player.

The Cardinal eventually managed to find a solution to the press, taking advantage of slow defensive switches by Oregon State and catalyzing a Stanford dunkfest. Owens, freshman forward Dwight Powell and junior forward Jack Trotter were left alone underneath the hoop time and time again. A Mann-to-Owens connection capped off a 16-3 run that gave Stanford its largest lead of the game at 67-51 with just 2:57 left in the game.

Brown was excited about the revival of a Stanford team that seemed to have lost its focus after a hot start to the season.

“It was very fun, he said. “I think our team is getting a lot more chemistry.

Stanford hosts the Arizona schools this weekend in the second part of a rare four-game home stand. Tipoff against Arizona is set for Thursday at 6 p.m.