KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alex Fuller scored 18 points, leading No. 15 Tennessee to an 80-61 win over Alabama on Thursday night.
Tennessee now holds a 41-2 lead in the series and grabbed its 34th straight win over the Crimson Tide. Alabama hasn’t beaten the Lady Vols since a victory in the first round of the 1984 Southeastern Conference tournament.
Tennessee (18-6, 7-3) led by 11 at halftime and then used a 14-0 run to pull away. The Lady Vols finished with a 51-30 rebounding advantage and had 20 second-chance points.
Dedrea Magee scored 21 points to lead Alabama (12-13, 0-10), and Varisia Raffington added 19.
Tennessee’s Shekinna Stricklen landed hard on her right knee with 10:39 before halftime and had to be helped off the floor. Stricklen, who leads the team with an average 13.6 points per game, returned to the sideline in the second half on crutches and was to be evaluated after the game.
Angie Bjorklund added 13 points for Tennessee, Sydney Smallbone had 11 and Alicia Manning scored 10.
The Lady Vols scored the first seven points of the game before Alabama found its shot and went on an 8-2 run. Ericka Russell scored six points in the run that pulled the Crimson Tide to 9-8.
Alabama, which averages 38 percent shooting from the field, made 50 percent in the first half.
Tennessee also shot better than its 41-percent average, slowly building on its lead with 45 percent shooting and entering halftime with a 41-30 lead.
Alabama’s shooting cooled off after halftime, and the Tide couldn’t keep up with Tennessee. Smallbone hit a 3-pointer to cap the Lady Vols’ 14-0 run for a 62-37 lead—their biggest of the game.
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