Kentucky 66, (1) Tennessee 63
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Top-ranked Tennessee lost consecutive games for the first time in nine years when Kentucky upset the Lady Vols 66-63 on Thursday night.
Jenny Pfeiffer scored 16 points, including two free throws with 15 seconds left to put the Wildcats ahead by one. Sidney Spencer then missed a 3-pointer for Tennessee and fouled Nastassia Alcius, who hit two foul shots with 3 seconds to go for the final margin.
The Lady Vols (18-2, 4-1 Southeastern Conference), who figured to drop from the top spot anyway after their 22-point loss Monday against No. 2 Duke, will almost certainly fall farther now. Tennessee had beaten Kentucky (15-4, 4-2) 24 straight times since January 1986 and entered with a 40-5 advantage in the series.
For Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in college basketball with 900 victories, the setback came at the hands of her former pupil, Kentucky coach Mickie DeMoss, a Tennessee assistant for 18 years under Summitt.
Tennessee led 63-62 when Shanna Zolman tripped, and Kentucky's Carly Ormerod came up with the loose ball. Pfeiffer drew a foul from Spencer and made both free throws.
Tennessee had not dropped consecutive games since February 1997 against LSU and Louisiana Tech. It also was the Lady Vols' first loss to an unranked team since March 2, 2002, against LSU in the SEC tournament.
For the Wildcats, it was their first win over a No. 1 team.
Summitt is 0-2 since earning her 900th career victory last week against Vanderbilt.
Freshman Candace Parker led the Lady Vols with 25 points -- one shy of a career high -- and nine rebounds. But it was her foul that sent Pfeiffer to the line for three free throws with 2:30 left. Pfeiffer made all three to tie the score at 60.
Summitt was unhappy with her team's defensive effort against Duke, but it was offense and defense alike that plagued the Lady Vols early against Kentucky.
They made only four of their first 15 shots and hit just 39 percent for the game.
Kentucky, however, shot 54 percent. The bigger Lady Vols narrowly won the rebounding battle, 33-32.
The Wildcats went on a 6-0 run midway through the first half and led by as many as six. A buzzer-beating layup by Jenn'e Jackson amid a crowd of Lady Vols gave the Wildcats a 35-30 halftime lead.
Guard Alexis Hornbuckle and center Tye'sha Fluker both started for the Lady Vols, despite lingering injuries from the Duke game. Hornbuckle sustained a bruised right kneecap while Fluker had some swelling in her left knee.
The Lady Vols were playing only their ninth road game of the season, and all have been attendance records for the host schools. On Thursday, a record 13,689 fans showed up at Rupp Arena to watch the upset.
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