STANFORD — Marcus Allen scored 18 points in his season debut, but Stanford fell behind in the first half and couldn”t recover in an 85-70 loss to SMU on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.

It was the first loss of the season for the Cardinal (2-1).

Allen, a key figure in the Cardinal”s run to the NIT title last year, had been sidelined recovering from a stress reaction in his foot.

“I”ve been inching to get back on the court,” Allen said. “It feels good to be on the court with my teammates.”

Rosco Allen added 14, Reid Travis had 12 and Michael Humphrey 10 for Stanford.

Nic Moore and Ben Moore each scored 17 points for the Mustangs, who won their road opener by handing the Cardinal their first loss of the year.

SMU, which reached the second round of last year”s NCAA tournament, scored 17 points on 10 Stanford turnovers in the first half while turning the ball over twice.

The Mustangs shot over 50 percent for the game and were able to get the ball inside for a healthy advantage in points in the paint.

Freshman Jarrey Foster hit a 3-pointer midway through the second half, putting the Mustangs ahead, 58-38.

Ben Moore scored 11 of his 12 first-half points during a 17-3 run over a 5:34 span that gave the Mustangs a 31-19 lead with 6:11 remaining in the opening period.

SMU took a 39-31 advantage into the intermission.