KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Candace Parker scored 13 points, leading four Lady Vols in double figures to help top-ranked Tennessee beat Louisiana Tech 81-60 on Monday night.
Nicky Anosike and Shannon Bobbitt added 13 points each and Angie Bjorklund had 12 for Tennessee (5-0). Whitney Jones led the unranked Lady Techsters (2-2) with 16 points in the 40th meeting of a long-standing rivalry.
Defending national champion Tennessee jumped on Louisiana Tech by hitting eight of their first nine 3-pointers. The Lady Vols built a 31-point lead in the first half and were never threatened.
Louisiana Tech was unnerved by Tennessee's defense, which scored 28 points off 24 Lady Techster turnovers. The Lady Vols held Louisiana Tech to 27 percent first-half shooting and 32 percent for the game.
Tennessee had 11 blocked shots, including back-to-back rejections by Parker during one stretch of the second half.
JoKeirra Sneed added 15 points and 18 rebounds for Louisiana Tech. Shanavia Dowdell was the only other player in double figures for Tech with 11.
The Lady Techsters are in the midst of a rebuilding project, with eight underclassmen and only two seniors. The program has a lot to live up to -- it's second only to Tennessee's 1,045 on the all-time women's wins list at 918.
The Lady Vols have won the last eight meetings in a series dating back to the 1978-79 season that includes three national championship games. Louisiana Tech's 17 wins against the Lady Vols are the most by any program. Tennessee leads the series 23-17.
The victory was the 952nd for Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, who's on track to pass the 1,000-victory mark next year. Just five NBA coaches have 1,000 wins from schedules more than twice as long as the average women's college basketball slate.
Tennessee moves on to host fourth-ranked North Carolina on Sunday in a rematch of last year's Final Four meeting. The Lady Vols eliminated the Lady Tar Heels 57-50 on the way to their record seventh national title.
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