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Appel leads No. 2 Stanford over WSU

Feb 14, 2010 - 10:35 PM By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Writer

PULLMAN, Wash.(AP) -- Jayne Appel hears the clock ticking on her college basketball career, and that is bad news for opponents of No. 2 Stanford.

The senior center scored a season-high 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Cardinal pounded Washington State 98-67 on Sunday, running their record against the Cougars to 50-0 in a series that dates to 1983.

"It's my senior year," Appel said. "I think about that every day. I think about it every minute I'm on the court."

"I have 51 days left," Appel said. "When I am out there I want to make the most out of every minute."

Nnemkadi Ogwumike added 21 points and Kayla Petersen 13 for Stanford (23-1, 13-0 Pac-10). The Cardinal have won 14 straight since their only loss of the season, at No. 1 Connecticut.

Those three front court players were the major reason Stanford won the rebound battle 51-29 and outscored the smaller Cougars 61-32 in the paint. The 6-foot-4 Appel was 12 of 18 in shooting and added six assists.

"When it comes down to it, there was just too much Jayne," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. "She has a sense of urgency and you can't underestimate the sense of urgency."

Washington State put up a fight. Jazmine Perkins scored a season-high 26 points to lead Washington State (6-18, 1-12), which has lost 13 of its past 14 games.

The Cougars kept it close in the early going. Carly Noyes' post shot over Appel brought the Cougars within 24-21 with 10 minutes left in the first.

Stanford replied with a 13-2 run to build a 37-23 lead with five minutes left. The Cardinal led 50-28 at halftime, with Appel posting 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone. Washington State shot just 28 percent in the first, and made only one field goal in the final nine minutes.

Perkins scored four consecutive WSU baskets early in the second as the Cougars closed to within 54-37. But the Cardinal replied with a 16-2 run for a 70-39 lead.

The Cougars didn't fold, as Perkins' 3-pointer launched a 12-0 run that cut Stanford's lead to 19 points. Freshman Joslyn Tinkle replied with consecutive 3-pointers for a 76-51 lead for Stanford, and the Cardinal made that stand up. Tinkle and Jeanette Pohlen had 12 points each for the Cardinal.

"We didn't back down in any phase," WSU coach June Daugherty said. "We just kept competing."

The WSU plan was to use its faster guards to disrupt the Cardinal, and for the most part the team stuck with it, Daugherty said. But the height difference between the teams was obviously going to be a factor as they went over the scouting report Saturday, she said.

"They're not going to get any smaller overnight," Daugherty said.

She was pleased the Cougars improved from 28 percent shooting in the first half to 53 percent in the second.

"This is a good sign for this team," she said.

Perkins made 11 of her 14 shots for the Cougars. Noyes added 13 points.

Washington State lost 80-43 at Stanford earlier this season. The lop-sided series between these two programs has rarely featured close games. Washington State fell to 0-24 at home versus the Cardinal.