UT’s Zolman beats the buzzer, Stanford

KNOXVILLE — It's not often that Shanna Zolman is held to two points for the first 39 minutes and 59 seconds of a game.

But if she scores three points in the final second of every game, the Lady Vols might take it.

The junior guard did not have one of her better games, but made a 30-footer as time expired to lift ninth-ranked Tennessee to a 70-67 win over No. 2 Stanford last night. Zolman was just 2-of-6 from the field.

''I really just let it fly,'' Zolman said. ''I ain't gonna lie. It just felt like a normal shot. As soon as I let it go, I knew it was going in.''

Stanford guard Kelley Suminksi had made a 3-pointer to tie the game with five seconds left. Zolman ran down the floor unguarded and was able to get a decent look at the basket, despite it being from the ''T'' on the ''Tennessee'' halfcourt logo.

Suminski led the Cardinal (8-1) with 21 points. Senior Shyra Ely led Tennessee (8-2) with 16.

''I would say that people got their money's worth,'' Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said.

UT Coach Pat Summitt considered calling a timeout after Suminski's shot, but she said once she saw the ball moving up the floor so fast, she wasn't going to stop Zolman with the ball in her hands.

''She could be 0-for-15 and say, 'Coach, let me shoot the last shot,''' Summitt said. ''That's probably the most open look she got the whole game.''

In order for the Cardinal to threaten overtime, it had to claw its way back from a double-digit deficit.

Lady Vol senior Brittany Jackson scored seven consecutive points in the second half that gave Tennessee a 51-46 lead. A jumper by freshman Alexis Hornbuckle gave the Lady Vols a 59-48 advantage.

But Stanford slowly worked its way back into the game, coming within 67-64 on a layup by Candice Wiggins. Jackson then missed two free throws to set up Suminski's shot.

Tennessee got a boost from starting center Tye'sha Fluker, who scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in her best outing of the season.

''Fortunately for us, Tye Fluker decided to show up,'' Summitt said. ''It makes all the difference to have an anchor inside.''