(5) Tennessee 77, Arkansas 37
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 5 Tennessee put it together in a big way down the stretch against Arkansas on Sunday.
Shanna Zolman scored 21 points and the Lady Vols scored 33 of the last 36 points in a 77-37 win over the Lady Razorbacks. Tennessee (21-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) looked lethargic on offense for most of the game, but that changed in the second half.
"It was just ourselves. We got together and said, 'We don't want to beat this team by 10 or 15 points. It's time to step up our game and get back to the Tennessee way," guard Alexis Hornbuckle said.
The Lady Razorbacks cut it to 44-34 on Rochelle Vaughn's jumper with 11:12 left when Tennessee's offense and defense took over. Candace Parker added 18 for Tennessee. Hornbuckle had 10 points, six assists and eight rebounds.
Hornbuckle scored twice and Zolman hit a 3 to start the run. Parker scored nine straight points during the spurt.
Arkansas (13-9, 5-4), held to a season low in points, lost its third in a row in SEC play and 12th straight to Tennessee. The Lady Razorbacks have never won in Knoxville -- and neither has any league team in nearly 10 years.
Tennessee has won 64 consecutive SEC home games, but that streak will get a stiff challenge on Thursday when third-ranked LSU visits.
"We have to win that basketball game to have a chance to win the league, and that's still our goal," coach Pat Summitt said.
The Lady Tigers beat Mississippi on Sunday to remain undefeated in league play.
"I think we're prepared. I think we got our confidence back. I think we got our swagger back," Parker said.
Arkansas had trouble overcoming Tennessee's size advantage. The Lady Vols have six players 6-foot-2 or taller while Arkansas has one. They outrebounded Arkansas 45-28.
The Lady Razorbacks shot 26 percent (14-of-53) from the floor.
"That was one of the better 40 minutes we have had on the defensive end. In the second half, we got into a better rhythm offensively," Summitt said. "At one point, they were right there with us. Then we separated out with our defense and board play."
Parker missed some practice because of a tight hip muscle that bothered her in a win at Mississippi earlier this week. It didn't appear to slow her on Sunday.
Tennessee forward Sidney Spencer left the game with a hyperextended right knee, the same one she tore ligaments in a year ago. Trainers said she would be evaluated on Monday.
The Lady Vols were playing at home for the first time since dropping from No. 1 in the poll after losses at Duke and Kentucky.
Melissa Hobbs scored 12 points for Arkansas.
"It didn't feel like a 40-point game. I think we played well for about 30 minutes," Arkansas coach Susie Gardner said. "The last 10 minutes was a different story. They were just toying with us."
Tennessee had a strong first half. The Lady Razorbacks cut it to 19-15 on Leslie Howard's 3 with 6:02 left, but the Lady Vols had a quick 7-0 run to push the lead to 11.
Howard hit another 3 to trim it to 28-21 with 2:50 left, and Tennessee answered by scoring the last five points of the half.
Howard accounted for nearly half of the Lady Razorbacks' offense by hitting three wide-open 3-pointers before halftime. But she was scoreless in the second half.
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