PULLMAN, Wash. — It was an astonishing sight.

There was 6-foot-10, 270-pound center Aron Baynes stealing the ball and racing the length of the court for a dunk that gave Washington State a five-point lead.

"I was lucky enough to finish it, emphasis on lucky," Baynes joked shortly after No. 17 Washington State beat Arizona State, 59-47, last night to hold on to third place in the Pac-10.

Baynes' play gave the Cougars a 45-40 lead, and more importantly, electrified the crowd and his teammates.

"I was just hoping that he didn't fall down or lose the ball," said Washington State guard and 'Iolani alum Derrick Low, who finished with 15 points. "I just never saw him do that before."

That's not completely true. Guard Taylor Rochestie said Baynes recently had a steal in practice.

"Somebody said, 'Baynes, be realistic, practice what you are going to see in games,' " Rochestie said with a laugh. "I guess we've just got to let Baynes go."

Baynes and Rochestie both had 10 points and six rebounds for surging Washington State (21-5, 9-5), which won its fourth straight, the longest current winning streak in the conference.

But it was defense that produced the win.

Arizona State (16-9, 6-7) tied its season low in points and finished 21 points below its average. The Sun Devils shot 22.7 percent in the second half and 33 percent for the game, including 6-of-25 from 3-point range.

NO. 6 UCLA 84, OREGON STATE 49

Russell Westbrook scored 17 points, Darren Collison added 14 points and nine assists and the Bruins (23-3, 11-2 Pac-10) romped to a 49-27 lead at intermission in sending the Beavers (6-20, 0-14) to their 16th consecutive defeat.

NO. 10 XAVIER 75, DUQUESNE 48

Derrick Brown had 13 points and 11 rebounds, C.J. Anderson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and the Musketeers (23-4, 11-1 Atlantic 10) took a 45-26 halftime lead that was never seriously threatened in cruising past the Dukes (16-9, 6-6) at Cincinnati for their ninth straight victory.

NO. 21 NOTRE DAME 82, PITTSBURGH 70

Luke Harangody had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and the Irish (20-5, 10-3 Big East), after rallying from an 11-point deficit, used a 14-3 run to take a 74-63 lead and never looked back in beating the Panthers (19-7, 7-6) at South Bend, Ind.

RANKED WOMEN

NO. 2 NORTH CAROLINA 79, MIAMI 61

Erlana Larkins scored 18 points, Rashanda McCants added 17, and the Tar Heels (25-2, 12-0 ACC) used an early 16-0 run and finished the first half with an 18-5 spurt for a 47-28 lead in turning back the stubborn Hurricanes (9-17, 2-9) at Coral Gables, Fla.

NO. 3 TENNESSEE 85, ALABAMA 58

On the day she announced that she's leaving for the WNBA draft and Olympic play, redshirt junior Candace Parker, who will graduate at the end of this season, scored 19 points to help lead the Lady Vols (24-2, 10-1 Southeastern Conference) past the Crimson Tide (8-19, 1-11) at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

NO. 6 LSU 52, KENTUCKY 48

Sylvia Fowles had 14 points, including two free throws with 5.5 seconds left following a steal and breakaway layup by Erica White for a 50-48 lead, and the Lady Tigers (23-3, 12-0 SEC) held off the Wildcats (13-13, 7-5) at Baton, Rouge, La., for their 14th straight victory.

NO. 10 OLD DOMINION 87, VCU 67

Jasmine Parker scored 16 points and the Lady Monarchs (23-3, 14-0 CAA), seeking their 17th consecutive league title and first unbeaten season in the CAA since 2001-02, scored 40 points in the paint to beat the Rams (19-6, 9-5) at Richmond, Va.

NO. 20 OHIO STATE 69, IOWA 56

Ashley Trebilcock and Jantel Lavender each scored 18 points, helping the Buckeyes (20-6, 11-4) draw closer to their fourth straight Big Ten title with a victory over the Hawkeyes (18-9, 11-5) at Columbus, Ohio.

NO. 25 VANDERBILT 60, ARKANSAS 53

Jessica Mooney scored 14 points, and despite 18 turnovers, the Commodores (20-7, 9-3 SEC) held a 26-25 halftime lead and made it stand up in beating the Razorbacks (19-9, 2-9) at Fayetteville, Ark.