Thursday, November 16, 2006

(5) Tennessee 83, (20) UCLA 60

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Candace Parker scored 22 points, Sidney Spencer added 15 and fifth-ranked Tennessee pulled away from No. 20 UCLA in the second half to win 83-60 on Thursday night.

The Lady Vols (2-0) began the second half with a 10-0 run that increased their lead to 52-32 with 16:17 left. Parker scored twice inside during the spurt.

UCLA (1-1), which dropped to 1-15 all-time against Tennessee, shot the ball well most of the game but could not overcome 26 turnovers.

Noelle Quinn, who led the Bruins in scoring last year, had 20 points. She scored 13 in the first half and was held without a field goal after halftime until the 5:49 mark. By that time the Lady Vols were already ahead by 27.

Alex Fuller added 10 points for Tennessee.

The Bruins opened the season Sunday with an 87-62 win over UC Santa Barbara, but they had trouble keeping up with Tennessee's fast-paced style. Lindsey Pluimer, who had a career-high 23 points in the opener, had 17 points, 13 coming in the first half.

Tennessee grabbed the lead early after UCLA had four turnovers in the first 3 1/2 minutes. The Lady Vols pushed their lead to as many as 17, but the Bruins kept chipping away.

Quinn had a jumper and 3-pointer that cut it to 38-27 and brought cheers from the UCLA bench. Nicky Anosike scored for Tennessee, but the Bruins responded with a three-point play by Pluimer that made it 40-30 with 3:01 remaining before halftime.

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt started pulling starters early in the second half. Parker went to the bench after scoring with 7:37 left. She was 10-of-15 from the floor.

Tennessee freshman Cait McMahan, already a fan favorite because she is from nearby Maryville, hit back-to-back 3s to push the lead to 24 with 12:08 to go.

The teams were playing for the first time since 1999. UCLA's lone win in the series was in 1981.

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