STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Candice Wiggins added another special accomplishment to her illustrious Stanford career Thursday night: all-time leading scorer.
Wiggins broke Kate Starbird's career school scoring record and finished with 18 points in 22 minutes, leading the seventh-ranked Cardinal past Southern California 77-51 for their sixth straight victory to avenge an earlier loss to the Trojans.
Wiggins entered the game needing 12 points to surpass Starbird's mark of 2,215, set from 1993-97. She was honored at center court, hugged by Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer and presented with the game ball moments after the final buzzer sounded, then smiled and waved to the fans as she said "Thank you."
Wiggins tied it when she converted the back end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 9:08 remaining in the first half, then broke Starbird's record on a putback of a miss by Jeanette Pohlen at 8:21. The feat was announced and fans jumped to their feet, holding up placards that read "2,216 points and counting."
Wiggins, coming off her third Pac-10 Player of the Week honor this season, has scored 2,222 total points for the Cardinal (18-3, 8-2 Pac-10). Stanford's senior star from San Diego shot 5-for-14 -- though five of her first seven points came at the free throw line.
Jayne Appel added 18 points on 9-for-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds and Jillian Harmon scored 10 as the Cardinal pushed the ball at every opportunity to create easy baskets. Appel's putback with 11:49 left gave Stanford a 59-29 lead.
Brynn Cameron scored 16 points and Kari LaPlante added 12 for cold-shooting USC (13-8, 6-4), which went 36 percent from the floor and had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Camille LeNoir, who scored 21 points with five 3-pointers and the game-winning jumper in the first matchup, missed all seven of her field-goal tries and was held scoreless for the first time all season. She came into the contest as the team's second-leading scorer at 10.9 points per game.
Stanford lost 73-72 on Jan. 6 at USC and left Los Angeles having been swept by the Trojans and UCLA in the first weekend of Pac-10 play. The defeat at USC ended the Cardinal's 10-game winning streak in the series.
Next up for Stanford: another shot at UCLA on Saturday.
VanDerveer considered these two games at Maples Pavilion crucial for protecting their home floor and avenging those two losses. Stanford hasn't lost since being swept by the L.A. schools, and came into this week riding high after routing rival and now-No. 10 California 72-52 last weekend to preserve its chances for an eighth straight Pac-10 title.
The Cardinal shot only 2-for-12 from 3-point range, but made 17 of 24 free throws, held a 36-32 rebounding advantage and scored 32 points off USC's 29 turnovers. They also had five players with at least two assists.
The Trojans committed three of those turnovers in the first 2:54 and fell behind 9-4 before coach Mark Trakh used a timeout to talk things over and try to slow Stanford's momentum. The Cardinal opened the game 4-for-14 but still shot 46 percent in the first half for a 44-21 lead at the break.