CORVALLIS — After falling behind 11-0 to start the game, Oregon State scratched and clawed its way back into Friday night’s crucial Pac-12 showdown with Stanford.

The Beavers, who managed to take a six-point lead early in the third, found themselves down three with 8.1 seconds remaining.

But Kat Tudor’s inbounds pass to Mikayla Pivec was stolen by DiJonai Carrington.

Instead of potentially sending the game to overtime, the Beavers watched as Carrington ran the clock out as the No. 24 Cardinal escaped with a 60-57 win over the No. 16 Beavers.

It was the second missed opportunity to potentially tie the game in the final 18 seconds for the Beavers. With 18 seconds left, Katie McWilliams found Marie Gulich on an inbounds pass for a layup attempt but it was contested and no good.

Stanford then missed two free throws but an offensive rebound, its 17th of the game, gave the Cardinal two more free throws.

Brittany McPhee hit just one and the Beavers grabbed the rebound down three.

But it was not to be for the Beavers.

McPhee led the Cardinal with 18 points, while Kianna Williams chipped in 14 and Alanna Smith 11.

McWilliams finished with 16 points for the Beavers, while Pivec added 15 and Taylor Kalmer 12. Gulich was held to seven points, the first time she has failed to reach double figures this season.

The biggest key Friday was Stanford’s ability to rebound as the Cardinal turned their 17 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points.

“That was huge,” said McPhee, who had 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards. “We wanted every extra possession we could get especially because they don’t turn the ball over a lot. Every time you get an offensive rebound it’s another shot you get.”

Oregon State coach Scott Rueck lamented his team’s physicality and was disappointed with the rebounding total — Stanford had a 44-35 edge — and was not shy about his feelings following the game.

“We’ve worked too hard to get to this point to be soft in an area where, we’ve been in physical games before, and this game was allowed to be extremely physical with the exception of a couple calls,” he said. “We needed to match that. We’re laying on the ground and they’re getting layups and laying it in. We’ve got to get better.”

The Beavers finished just 6 for 22 from 3 (27.3 percent) after entering the game leading the conference in 3-point shooting at 41.9 percent.

“We just didn’t shoot the 3 like we needed to,” Rueck said. “If we shoot the 3 right, if that percentage is right, what’s the score? There wouldn’t have been the runs like (there were). … We just need to shoot it better.”