STANFORD, Calif. — Jayne Appel held her ground and even sent someone to the ground.

Appel had a season-high 23 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots before being ejected with 7:41 left for throwing an elbow that hit UCLA's Jasmine Dixon in the face, and No. 2 Stanford won its 41st straight home game at Maples Pavilion with a 74-53 victory last night.

Appel insists her action was unintentional — and Dixon and Bruins coach Nikki Caldwell backed her on that.

"Appel was just trying to get the rebound and clear the board," Dixon said. "I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't think she meant anything by it."

Kayla Pedersen pulled down a season-best 15 rebounds and Nnemkadi Ogwumike added 15 points and seven boards for the Cardinal (20-1, 10-0 Pac-10) in its 11th straight victory overall since the team's lone loss at top-ranked Connecticut on Dec. 23.

Dixon scored 16 points to go with nine rebounds to lead the Bruins (14-7, 7-3), who have lost seven straight to the Cardinal.

NO. 5 TENNESSEE 74, ARKANSAS 57

Kelley Cain had 14 points, 17 rebounds and eight blocked shots, helping the host the Lady Vols (20-2, 8-1 Southeastern Conference) roll past the Razorbacks (9-13, 1-8) to reach 20th victories for a 34th consecutive season under coach Pat Summitt.

BOSTON COLLEGE 61, NO. 6 DUKE 57

Carolyn Swords had 14 points and nine rebounds, going 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the final 5 minutes, to lead the host Eagles (13-10, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) over the Blue Devils (18-4, 6-1).

NO. 8 OHIO STATE 86, IOWA 82

Samantha Prahalis had 22 points and Jantel Lavender added 18, including a layup for 74-72 lead and the host Buckeyes (22-3, 10-2 Big Ten) never trailed again in holding off the Hawkeyes (11-11, 4-7).

MIAMI 80, NO. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 69

Shenise Johnson had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the host Hurricanes (15-7, 3-5 ACC) broke a 61-61 tie with 10 consecutive points to beat the Tar Heels (16-5, 4-3) and snap a three-game losing streak.

NO. 14 GEORGIA 49, NO. 19 LSU 46

Jasmine James had a baseline drive with 1:23 to go in overtime to break a 46-all tie, and added a free throw with 39 seconds left to lift the host Lady Bulldogs (19-4, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) over the Tigers (15-6, 4-5).

NO. 20 KENTUCKY 80, MISSISSIPPI 66

A'dia Mathies scored 21 points, Victoria Dunlap added 18 and the host Wildcats (19-3, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) forced 18 turnovers to beat the Rebels (14-8, 5-4) and extend their home winning streak to 15 games.

DETROIT 71, NO. 23 WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY 55

Brigid Mulroy scored 20 points and the host Titans (10-11, 8-2) used a 15-0 run for a 55-47 lead in upsetting the Phoenix (18-3, 7-3) to take sole possession of first place in the Horizon League.

RANKED MEN

NO. 8 PURDUE 78, INDIANA 75

Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson each scored 21 points, and the Boilermakers (19-3, 7-3 Big Ten) won in Bloomington for the first time since 1999 to snap an eight-game road skid against the Hoosiers (9-12, 3-6).

NO. 10 DUKE 86, NO. 21 GEORGIA TECH 67

Kyle Singler had career highs of 30 points and eight 3-pointers, and Jon Scheyer added 21 points, powering the host Blue Devils (18-4, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) past the Yellow Jackets (16-6, 4-4).

NO. 14 TENNESSEE 59, LSU 54

Wayne Chism scored 20 points and the visiting Vols (17-4, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) weathered a late rally by the Tigers (9-13, 0-8) after opening up a 51-37 cushion with eight minutes left.

NO. 17 GONZAGA 76, PORTLAND 48

Matt Bouldin scored 20 points and the host Bulldogs (18-4, 7-1 West Coast) had no trouble with the Pilots (14-8, 5-3), playing without leading-scorer Nik Raivio (Achilles' injury).

NO. 23 BUTLER 63, DETROIT 58

Gordon Hayward had 18 points and 10 rebounds, helping the host Bulldogs (19-4, 12-0 Horizon League) turn back the Titans (14-9, 7-5), who were trying to beat a ranked team on the road for the first time since Feb. 1979.

WAC MEN

LOUISIANA TECH 71, SAN JOSE STATE 64:

Magnum Rolle scored 21 points to lead the the host Bulldogs (19-4, 7-2 Western Athletic Conference) over the Spartans (12-10, 5-5). Rolle hit consecutive baskets to give the Bulldogs a 46-32 lead with 14:20 to play and the Spartans only got as close as three with nine minutes left.