Sunday, December 17, 2006

(5) Tennessee 67, (23) Texas 46

AUSTIN, Texas -- Sidney Spencer scored 15 points and No. 5 Tennessee shook off poor shooting in the first half with a scoring burst early in the second for a 67-46 win Sunday over No. 23 Texas.

In a matchup of college basketball's two winningest coaches, Tennessee's Pat Summitt got career win No. 922 and her second in a row over Texas' Jody Conradt, who has 889.

Texas had won four in a row in this rivalry between the traditional women's powers before dropping the last two by an average of 31 points.

Candace Parker added 12 points for the Lady Vols (9-1). Freshman guard Brittainey Raven scored 15 to lead Texas (7-3) in her third career start.

Parker's two quick layups to open the second half and a flurry of 3-pointers by Spencer and Shannon Bobbit turned a tight game into a rout as the Lady Vols expanded a 27-18 halftime lead to 51-31 with about 10 minutes left and cruised from there.

Texas, which came in off a 28-point loss at Duke a week earlier, missed a chance to take advantage of the Lady Vols' 11-of-35 shooting in the first half that included a 1-of-8 effort by Parker, Tennessee's leading scorer this season.

Parker made up for it on the defensive end, helping the Lady Vols shut down Texas' Tiffany Jackson with constant double- and triple-teams in the middle of the Tennessee defense.

Jackson finished with eight points on 2-of-13 shooting. Texas' 18 points tied for the third-lowest mark in a first half in school history.

Parker, who was beating defenders but missing shots in the first half, scored on her first two touches in the second, putting Tennessee up 31-20 before she picked up her third foul and had to back off.

Her teammates quickly filled the gap, finding different players to keep the run going.

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