Hornbuckle suffers concussion on top of bloody nose, broken wrist

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee point guard Alexis Hornbuckle, already playing with an injured wrist, got a bloody nose and suffered a concussion from hitting her head on the floor against George Washington.

But other than the obvious physical limitations, Hornbuckle's return from injury just in time for the NCAA Tournament has worked out well for the Lady Vols.

Hornbuckle was held out of practice Wednesday because of the concussion. She was stripping the ball away from a player in Tuesday's second round win when she fell on the floor and hit her head. Coach Pat Summitt said Hornbuckle should be ready to practice Thursday.

Then the No. 2 seed Lady Vols (30-4) are off to the regional semifinals in Cleveland, their 25th straight appearance in the round of 16. They will play Rutgers on Sunday.

"She got a concussion. She was out today. We'll evaluate her to see if she'll be back tomorrow," Summitt said after practice.

Hornbuckle, a sophomore from Charleston, W.Va., seemed unfazed by her latest injury.

"They're just being a little extra cautious because if I hit my head again it might be worse, I guess? I'm hard-headed," she said, smiling.

Hornbuckle missed seven games after she broke her right wrist on Feb. 12 in a game against Vanderbilt. She had surgery to insert a screw to help the healing, and team officials originally said Hornbuckle would miss the rest of the season. Doctors cleared her to play last week.

Without Hornbuckle, the Lady Vols had no true point guard. The only other one they had — Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood — left the team and transferred to Maryland in December.

Hornbuckle had started 24 of 25 games until the injury. She came off the bench and played 17 minutes in the Lady Vols' first round 102-54 rout of Army on Sunday, her first game action in over a month.

Wearing a splint-like wrap around her wrist and forearm, Hornbuckle played 24 minutes Tuesday in Tennessee's 66-53 win over George Washington.

"She gives our basketball team a lot of energy. She helps us improve our early offense, our transition, with her ability to push tempo. From that standpoint, it was good," Summitt said.

"I thought she tried to do a little too much last night. I think she's still trying to get back in the groove."

Hornbuckle had four assists, two turnovers and four steals against Army. She had three assists, four turnovers and three steals against George Washington.

Hornbuckle had to go to the bench at one point against George Washington after Kimberly Beck hit her in the face and caused her nose to bleed.

It was not broken. "Popped a blood vessel," Hornbuckle said.

Hornbuckle said she has been able to do more with her wrist than she thought — from dribbling to shooting. She's grabbed 10 rebounds total in two games.

After averaging 10.4 points a game before the injury, she has made only one field goal in the tournament so far.

But she's not bad at the foul line, going 3-of-4 against Army and 4-of-6 against George Washington, after changing the way she shoots it.

"I slide over to the left a little bit because my shot is off. I don't have a follow through wrist down, so it's not a straight shot," she said.

And Hornbuckle is still diving on the floor for loose balls, which is how she broke her wrist.

"I don't even think about it," she said. "I guess I'm crazy."

The Lady Vols were treated to some high-flying dunks after practice. And no, it wasn't Candace Parker, who made women's basketball history by dunking twice over the weekend.

The Harlem Globetrotters were practicing on a trampoline for a show Wednesday night in Thompson-Boling Arena.

(2) Tennessee 66, (7) Geo. Washington 53

NORFOLK, Va. -- Pat Summitt stayed perfect in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, and the Lady Vols are hoping they've already cleared the bump in the road to a championship.

Shanna Zolman scored 19 points and Candace Parker had 15, and second-seeded Tennessee used a fast start to send eighth-seeded George Washington reeling in a 66-53 victory Tuesday night.

Summitt improved to 38-0 in the first and second rounds in her career, and gave Tennessee (30-4) its 16th 30-win season in her 32 years as coach. The Lady Vols have advanced to 25 consecutive regional semifinals.

The way she saw it, it also made her hopeful that better times are ahead.

"I don't think I've ever been in a postseason that we haven't had an ugly win," the career victories leader said. "I'll take an ugly win any day at this time of year."

The Lady Vols advanced to play Rutgers or TCU in the Cleveland Regional, and looked like they might be contenders for a seventh national championship in the process.

The key, Zolman said, is learning from experience, not only in the tournament, which Tennessee last won in 1998, but also from the regular season. This season, the Lady Vols lost to two unranked teams for the first time in the history of the poll.

"By no means was this just a warmup for us," Zolman said. "We've learned moreso this year than ever to respect our opponent in every single aspect of the game."

That respect, though, is accompanied by a lingering feeling of having been disrespected by the committee that made Tennessee a No. 2 seed in the tournament.

"We're going to continue to use that as motivation," Zolman said.

Parker didn't have the same impact as in the first round, when she dunked twice, but the 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman still wowed the crowd with her razzle-dazzle.

The loudest cheers came when she took an alley-oop pass from Zolman and banked in a layup, and when she sliced to -- and under -- the basket for a nifty reverse layup.

"We're going to come into the regional with fire," Parker said.

George Washington (23-9) trailed by double digits almost the whole way after the Lady Vols' opening 16-2 burst. After 11 minutes, Zolman had 11 points and Parker had 10, both exceeding the Colonials' total, and Tennessee was up 25-8 and cruising.

"By the time I think we really got our arms around this game and made a run, it seemed like we were just out of gas," Colonials coach Joe McKeown said.

George Washington missed its first nine shots, but used an 11-3 run to begin the second half to get within 43-34 with 13:50 to go. But Zolman and Sidney Spencer hit back-to-back 3-pointers, sparking a 13-0 run that put the Colonials back in a hole.

"It was time to do something," Zolman said of her 3-pointer to stop the run.

Jessica Simmonds led the Colonials with 14 points and Jessica Adair had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Colonials shot just 30 percent and were outrebounded 53-37.

"They were a pretty good No. 2 seed. I'll say that much," McKeown said.

George Washington never got closer than 10 in the last 13 minutes, even when Parker went to the bench with four fouls and 7:48 to play. The Colonials lost to the Lady Vols for the second time this season, the first by 59-43 in Washington on Dec. 7.

Spencer added 12 points and Nicky Anosike had nine and 12 rebounds.

Quotes and Notes

Quotes

Opening Statement

Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt: "I was really pleased with how we came out today as a team. I thought our starters demonstrated great commitment in terms of their defensive intensity and obviously we had good ball movement and shot the ball well. When you shoot the ball 60% for the game, its hard to be disappointed with the offense. You always look at turnovers but for the first game in the NCAA tournament, we are very pleased with how we started and where we are."

On her two dunks against Army

Candace Parker, RS Freshman Forward: "I took an outlet pass and just went up and did it. It was nothing that I thought about, I've done it a few times in practice and I've been getting talk from my teammates in practice about not doing it in games. It's a relief to finally do it and get it over with. I think our whole thing coming into this tournament is to bring energy, confidence, and a sort of swagger. Being who we are at Tennessee , we bring confidence and that's what dunking does. We came out and played huge in the first game, and just brought a lot of energy, and I think that brought a lot of momentum.

On Army's performance

Shanna Zolman, Senior Guard: "We knew coming into the game that it was going to be hard fought in the sense that they are competitive and hard working. They fight not only in terms of on the court but also for our country. When I was looking up at the beginning of the game and saw the band in their fatigues, and a lot of the fans with their Army gear on, I knew this game was a lot more than basketball and starting off the NCAA Tournament. Our opponents not only play basketball, but more importantly, they are fighting for and serving our country. We were talking a lot about what it means for them, as members of the Army, what all they have to go through, and we knew they would be well conditioned athletes just because of being in the Army and going through boot camp. It's definitely an honor to play against them, because they are serving our country for a much more important purpose."

On pressure of having to dunk again in the future:

Parker: "I'm just going to approach the games like I've normally done it, and I'm not going to force anything. If it's a close game, no way, I will make the best decision for the team. I just thought it brought energy, and I'm not pressured to do it again."

On Army's performance:

Summitt: "I thought they came out with discipline on the court. These young ladies understand discipline, and at the same time, I was pleased that we managed to make some adjustments because they were getting good open looks against us. There is no question they are very well coached. Maggie has done a great job, and I knew of her work at DePaul. I have tremendous respect and admiration for their head coach, and she could only benefit by being in his presence. There's coaching in her blood with her brother, and when you have it in your family I know the feeling that you just talk basketball. You love the game and you love to teach the game, which she does very well."

On Parker's dunk:

Summitt: "It was nice to get it out of the way since shes tried it before against Auburn at home, and she missed. The fans talked about it all the time, and she wanted to do it for the Tennessee fans at home because they are always asking, "when are you going to dunk?". When she did that baseline dunk today, it took me back to our first practice when we were running basic baseline drills, and I was at the other end of the court. Candace got the drop pass, and dunked it much like she did today. I've been in this business for 32 years, and I said to myself I cant believe I saw what I just saw. I didn't think I'd be impressed when it happened, but I was. I told her at the end of the game today, I said to her "well you got yourself on Sportscenter again, good job!", and she smiled."

Notes

* Tennessee scored 80+ points for the 17th time this season. At 78.5 ppg, the Lady Vols rank sixth nationally.
* The 80-point plateau has now been reached 14 times by UT in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
* UT scored 100+ points for the third time this season (fifth including exhibition games).
* Every Lady Vol scored in the game for the fifth time this season.
* The 60.3 percent (38-63) from the field was the highest this season for the Lady Vols. The last time UT shot 60 percent was on Nov. 29, 2002 against Puerto Rico Mayaguez (57-86 for 66.3 percent).
* Tennessee has played in 70 games where the Lady Vols have accumulated at least 100 points. In those games, UT holds a 67-3 record overall, a 9-2 mark at neutral sites.
* UT has eclipsed 100 points in four NCAA Tournament games.

The win today...

* Improves the Lady Vols to 29-4 on the season.
* Improves Tennessee to 19-0 in its 19 first round games of the NCAA Tournament. UT had a first round bye from 1988-93. The Lady Vols are now 37-0 in the first weekend of NCAA Tournament action.
* Improves Tennessee to 90-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
* Improves Pat Summitt to 911-176 in 32 years at Tennessee.
* Improves Tennessee to 2-0 all-time against the Black Knights.

Candace Parker...

* DUNKED! TWICE! Parker made her first collegiate dunk with 13:47 showing on the clock in the first half and then dunked again with 14:38 left in the game. On Feb. 23 against Auburn in Thompson-Boling Arena, Parker attempted a dunk, but just missed. She joins Georgeann Wells (West Virginia, 1984), Charlotte Smith (North Carolina, 1994) and Michelle Snow (Tennessee 200, 02) as the only women in the history of Division I basketball to dunk in a game. Parker is the first to do so in an NCAA Tournament game (Snow attempted a dunk in Thompson-Boling Arena against Notre Dame on March 17 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament but missed). Parker is the only female to dunk twice in a game.
* Remains the only Lady Vol to start every game this season
* Moved into sixth place in the Lady Vol record book for most free throws attempted in a season (193) and into sixth place for free throws made (139).
* Scored in double figures for the 30th time this season, the 11th time in a row. Scored 20+ points for the eighth time this season, the third time in a row.
* Moved into 15th place for career blocks (75).

Shanna Zolman...

* Played in her 141st career game, a tie (with former teammate Tasha Butts and Associate Head Coach Holly Warlick) for the fourth most games played by any Lady Vol in the history of the program.
* Made a three-pointer for the 32nd game this season, the 14th in a row.
* Tied her own Lady Vol NCAA record for three-pointers in a game (5), which she set last year in the first round against Western Carolina.
* Scored in double figures for the 26th time this season, the 75th time in her career.
* Remains in second place in career three-pointers (254) in the Lady Vol record books, but needs only three more to pass sharp shooter Kara Lawson (256).

Alexis Hornbuckle...

* Played in her first game since breaking her wrist Feb. 12 against Vanderbilt.
* Picked up right where she left off... with four steals and a team-best six rebounds

Tye'sha Fluker...

* Scored in double figures for the 14th time this season

Sybil Dosty...

* Scored a career-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.

CP3-2

CP3-1

No. 6 Tennessee Tops Army 102-54 - Parker Dunks Twice

NORFOLK, Va. - Candace Parker of Tennessee slam dunked her way into NCAA history with a feat that even fans of underdog Army had to appreciate.

The 6-foot-4 Parker became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game Sunday, jamming one-handed on a breakaway just 6:12 into the second-seeded Lady Vols' 102-54 victory against a Black Knights team that was making its NCAA tournament debut.

Then, for good measure, Parker ensured her place in history by becoming the first to do it twice in a college game with another one-hander on the baseline. She finished with 26 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

The first came when Parker took an outlet pass from Sidney Spencer, causing the large contingent of Lady Vols fans to begin buzzing at the possibility that after dunking several times in pregame warmups, Parker would try it on the fast break.

She did, beating Army's Margaree King down the floor, elevating and throwing it down with her right hand as the fans at Constant Convocation Center erupted.

It was the second college dunk attempt for Parker, who missed against Auburn on Feb. 23. She became the fourth woman in college history to dunk in a game, joining Georgeann Wells of West Virginia (twice in 1984), Charlotte Smith of North Carolina (1994) and Michelle Snow of Tennessee, who did it three times in the 2000-01 season.

The play gave the Lady Vols a 15-14 lead against the pesky 15th-seeded Black Knights, who were adopted by most of the fans at Tennessee rival Old Dominion's home arena, and it spelled the beginning of the end of Army's whirlwind NCAA tournament experience.

First-year Army coach Maggie Dixon was making some history of her own Sunday. She and her older brother, Pittsburgh men's coach Jamie Dixon, are believed to be the first brother and sister to coach in the Division I tournament in the same year. Big brother didn't fare much better: The fifth-seeded Panthers lost to 13th-seeded Bradley 72-66 Sunday.

A little over eight minutes after Parker's first dunk, the Lady Vols (29-4) held a 37-17 lead thanks to a 24-4 run and the only suspense left was whether Parker would try to do it again.

She did, with 14:18 left, working a give-and-go with Nicky Anosike from the right corner, and taking a return pass with a clear path down the baseline. This time, it happened so fast that the crowd didn't even have a chance to anticipate the moment.

Less than a minute later Parker was summoned by Tennessee coach Pat Summitt to watch the last 13:42 from the Lady Vols' bench. Tennessee will face the winner of the game between George Washington and Old Dominion in the second round of the Cleveland Regional on Tuesday night.

For Army, which had West Point superintendent Lt. Gen. Bill Lennox among its fatigues-wearing, face-painted fans, Parker's dazzling performance likely only enhanced their debut in the tournament, which had already sparked a frenzy at the academy.

The Blacks Knights (20-11), who were carried off the court by cadets after winning the Patriot League tournament, lost to the Lady Vols 96-44 in 2002, so they knew what they were up against. They gave away several inches at each position on the floor.

Cara Enright led the Black Knights with 21 points and Alex McGuire had eight.

The Lady Vols, who shot 60 percent and outrebounded Army 40-21, got 15 points each from Tye'sha Fluker and Shanna Zolman and had all 10 players that played score.

They cracked the century mark with 54 seconds left on a steal and layup by Anosike.

Parker, Tennessee open tournament today

NORFOLK, Va. — Hearing Candace Parker quip, "I like that play. I don't have to do nothin' in that play," during drills Saturday is funny because Parker's done so much for Tennessee this year. So much, that it's actually not funny.

Parker averages 16.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this year and became the Southeastern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player on March 5 after making the winning shot against LSU with 17 seconds left.

Her court presence will become even more significant to the No. 2 seeded Lady Volunteers (28-4) when they play No. 15 Army (20-10) today in their NCAA Tournament opener, which starts at 11 a.m. at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va.

"I'm really just excited because of knowing what it was like last year to sit out, and there's huge anticipation (this year)," said Parker, answering questions in a busy and crowded locker room. "I mean, last year I couldn't wait to play and now it's finally here. It's kind of like, 'I can't believe it.'

"A year's gone by."

Nominated for this year's V Foundation Comeback Player of the Year award, Parker sat out her freshman season to recover from surgery that repaired the lateral meniscus and the lateral articular cartilage in her left knee. Without Parker, this year's SEC Freshman of the Year, the Lady Volunteers finished 30-5 overall, won the SEC Championship and finished third in the NCAA Championships.

As much as Tennessee didn't need Parker to advance as far as it did last year, it's now clearer than ever how much they will call on her this time around. Parker not only has the ability to play every position, but she actually has played them all.

As of late, Parker has played at the three position as well as at the post and the point, the latter during the last seven games because of a broken right wrist suffered by sophomore Alexis Hornbuckle on Feb. 12.

"I think Candace has really matured in a lot of ways," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "Looking at her as a basketball player now and just seeing the growth from the beginning to the NCAA Tournament, I think that she has stepped up her game and tried to take more responsibility."

Jenny Moshak, UT's Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine, cleared Hornbuckle to play on Thursday. Hornbuckle's return should free up Parker and senior shooting guard Shanna Zolman from bringing up the ball and wearing the extra hat of point guard, which means a tougher task for Army sophomore Stefanie Stone.

Stone, who has the unenviable task of guarding Parker, said the Naperville native will be a challenge because she's quick and she can play both inside and outside.

"Candace is a great player, obviously. She's done some really great things this year," Stone said. "It's gonna be a tough matchup, but I'm up to the challenge. We're gonna try different things defensively, not just on her, but on the entire team."

Army's making its first appearance in the tournament under first-year coach Maggie Dixon, who recruited Parker while serving as DePaul's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2001-05.

"I went to every one of her AAU games and recruited her very hard," Dixon said. "I've watched her grow as a person and as a player, and I'm very proud of what she has accomplished."

The last time UT and Army played — a 96-44 Lady Vols' victory during the 2002 San Juan Shootout — Parker was busy winning a second-straight Class AA state title as a senior at Naperville Central. The winner of today's rematch will play the winner of No. 7 George Washington and No. 10 Old Dominion on Tuesday.

Army entered the tournament by defeating Holy Cross 69-68 in the Patriot League title game, while the Lady Volunteers defeated LSU 63-62 in the SEC Championship.

Tennessee boasts an 18-0 record in the first and second rounds of the tournament, history that does not bode well for the undersized and inexperienced Black Knights.

"We haven't actually really done our scouting on them yet, but for any team to be in the tournament right now, you know they're a good, solid team," said Parker, who cited Army's discipline as a strength. "So I think if we bring energy on both the offensive and defensive end, hopefully, we'll come out with a victory."

Hornbuckle provides pointed assistance

Alexis Hornbuckle is happy to be back where she belongs - on the court and directing Tennessee's offense.

NORFOLK -- The half-court shot never had a chance, bouncing off the top of the backboard and into the stands.

But the smile on Alexis Hornbuckle's face was as wide as if she'd just sunk the 45-footer to win a national championship.

Hornbuckle, Tennessee's starting point guard, didn't figure to factor into the Lady Vols' postseason push after breaking her right wrist Feb. 12 against Vanderbilt. But doctors told Hornbuckle on Thursday that the injury had healed enough for her to play in today's first-round NCAA tournament game against Army.

"There was the biggest the smile on my face," Hornbuckle said. "I was cheesing from ear to ear."

That expression seems ever-present for Hornbuckle, a 5-foot-11 sophomore from Charleston, W.Va.

Taping stimulating electrodes to her wrist in the Lady Vols locker room on Saturday afternoon, Hornbuckle laughed while fielding reporters' questions.

As the Lady Vols conducted their first practice on the Ted Constant Convocation Center court, she smiled as her baseline jumper swished through the net. And after her half-court heave went long at the end of practice, her grin stretched across her face as she turned and playfully flexed an arm muscle.

"I'm such a competitive person. I always want to be on the floor," she said. "I could be having a broken leg, not able to walk, and I'm still gonna want to play, no matter what."

Hornbuckle's teammates may be the only people happier that her 10.4 points and 3.9 assists per game are back in the lineup.

"Just energy-wise, she's a huge presence, defensively and offensively," freshman Candace Parker said. "She's our only true point guard, and teams aren't gonna press us as much because they know that we have a ballhandler."

With the Lady Vols' backcourt already depleted by the transfer of Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, Hornbuckle's absence turned Tennessee into a three-forward team.

Parker, a 6-foot-4 forward, was pressed into point guard duties in the Lady Vols' 58-55 win at Georgia four days after Hornbuckle got hurt.

But the Lady Vols lost just once - 95-93 to Florida in overtime on Feb. 26 - with senior Shanna Zolman directing their offense.

On March 5, Tennessee (28-4) won its second straight SEC title with a 63-62 victory over LSU as Hornbuckle watched.

"During our SEC run, she was so involved, talking to players," Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt said.

On Saturday, the cast that stopped a few inches above her right wrist didn't seem to bother Hornbuckle as she smoothly switched her dribble from her left hand to her right.

She'll wear a splint today, when Summitt expects her to play against an Army team making its first Division I NCAA appearance.

"I'm not concerned about her shooting. I'm more concerned about her getting other people shots, and she's been doing that in practice, left-handed," Summitt said. " ... I don't know if she can shoot a BB in the ocean, but I know she can make you guard her."

Tennessee's Hornbuckle cleared to play

Tennessee point guard Alexis Hornbuckle, thought to have been lost for the season when she suffered a broken wrist in a game on Feb. 12, has been cleared to play, the school announced Thursday.

"Following consultation with Dr. Robert Ivy, team orthopaedic hand specialist, Alexis has been cleared to play," said Jenny Moshak, the University of Tennessee Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine. "She has been active in conditioning and practice for the last three weeks while wearing her GORE-TEX cast. Dr. Ivy has cleared her to play wearing a protective device."

Hornbuckle missed seven games with the injury, including all three SEC Tournament games for the Lady Vols. Tennessee won the league title with a 63-62 win over LSU.

"Emotionally, this is a great boost for Alexis and our entire team going into the NCAA Tournament," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "We recognize what Alexis has meant to our team this year and while injured her attitude has been tremendous as she has stayed mentally and emotionally involved in all of our games."

The 5-foot-11 Hornbuckle averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and a team-leading 3.9 assists while starting 24 of 25 games.

Lady Vols honored

Coach Pat Summitt was named the Region 3 coach of the year, and Candace Parker and Shanna Zolman were named second team All-SEC on Tuesday.

Summitt's award by the Women's coaches association means she is eligible to be the national coach of the year.

Parker was named the AP's rookie of the year in the SEC on the same day she was named one of 48 finalists for the Kodak All-America team. Still, she was second team All-SEC according to the AP, as was teammate Shanna Zolman. Both had been named first team in the coaches All-SEC list last week.

Tar Heels face one of toughest regions -- ever

North Carolina, to most eyes, was the clear top No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament. As a reward for that, the Tar Heels got one of the toughest regions I've ever seen.

Anyone want to clue me in on how the two top teams in the RPI -- as best I can figure -- are in the same region? Yes, if seeds hold, North Carolina faces Tennessee in the Cleveland Regional championship game. Wow.

Oh, and let's throw in No. 3 Rutgers and No. 4 Purdue in that region, too.

And just in case North Carolina is still feeling too comfy about its draw -- note to committee, this is sarcasm -- the Tar Heels might also face Vanderbilt on the Commodores' home court in the second round. Likewise, Tennessee could have to face Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., in the second round.

I can sum this up in one sentence: I don't get it.

After their Lewis and Clark-like trek to the Midwest last year (they played in the Kansas City Regional), the UConn Huskies are back in their home state for a regional. If -- that is -- they get past the early rounds in University Park, Pa. Then they'll head back to Bridgeport, Conn.

Duke is the No. 1 seed there, and once again the Blue Devils won't have to travel far for the early rounds (they're in Norfolk, some three hours from Durham). Duke has been very fortunate in that regard for quite a while now.

A potential matchup of big, strong centers could be looming in the San Antonio Regional, as LSU with Sylvia Fowles and Oklahoma with Courtney Paris are the 1-2 seeds. OU might meet No. 3 Stanford in the regional semis, and those two programs don't have a very friendly history, of course.

Ohio State got a No. 1 and has nothing to complain about in the Albuquerque Regional. The Buckeyes could have a matchup with No. 2 Maryland, which should also be pleased with how it was rewarded for its season.

The Big 12, despite being the league of the defending national champion in Baylor, got a cold shoulder from the committee compared to other leagues. The ACC and Big East have seven teams in, the Pac-10 six, the SEC six, the Big Ten five and the Mountain West and Big 12 four each.

Yeah, I really believe the Pac-10 and SEC are identical, as are the Big 12 and Mountain West. Don't you? (Note to committee: more sarcasm).

Lady Vols upset over No. 2 seed in NCAA tournament

Lady Vols upset over No. 2 seed in NCAA tournament

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Pat Summitt was shocked and confused.

Tennessee beat LSU to win the Southeastern Conference tournament, played the toughest schedule in the nation and was ranked second in the RPI.

So when the sixth-ranked Lady Vols received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, Summitt told her players to consider it "a slap in your face."

Summitt believed Tennessee (28-4) had earned a top seed. The selection committee believed otherwise, sending Tennessee to the Cleveland Regional to play 15th-seeded Army in Norfolk, Va., on Sunday.

Because North Carolina, the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, also is in Tennessee's bracket, Summitt said that means the Lady Vols were considered the lowest second seed.

"That's a slap in your face," Summitt said after watching the selection show with her players at her Knoxville home. "It's a slap in our program's face. I guess it's my fault for putting together the toughest schedule in the country year in and year out. But as far as I'm concerned we got no respect and I don't understand it."

Joni Comstock, the selection committee's chairman, explained on ESPN that the RPI is only used as a tool for seeding. She said Tennessee's four losses hurt a chance for a top seed.

Comstock denied on the show that Tennessee was being considered the lowest No. 2 seed and was only placed there for geographic reasons.

"Liar!" someone in Summitt's house shouted during Comstock's televised interview.

The Lady Vols lost at Duke, at Kentucky, at home to LSU and at home to Florida. The losses to Kentucky and Florida marked the first time Tennessee has ever lost to two unranked teams in a season.

Summitt speculated that the committee looked at the effect of the loss of point guard Alexis Hornbuckle, who broke her wrist on Feb. 12 and is out for the season.

She said this was the most baffling bracket she's ever seen.

"I don't know what we did wrong," Summitt said. "You have to look at the strength of schedule. We're No. 1 and if I'm not mistaken Ohio State is No. 21. And their conference is No. 7. Those two things don't add up."

The players also didn't understand.

"Being able to win an SEC championship and to overcome so much adversity as we have through the course of the year with injuries or whatever, when they showed us the two seed in by far the toughest region, it was complete disrespect by everybody," senior guard Shanna Zolman said.

The Lady Vols are aiming for their seventh national title and first since 1998. They have been a No. 1 seed the last three years for a total of 17 times out of 25 NCAA tournaments.

Summitt said she wondered if the brackets showed that the committee was hoping new teams would make it deeper into the NCAAs.

"You have to stop and think about that. As I looked at the bracket I thought they must want new teams at the Final Four," she said.

The Lady Vols have been to four straight Final Fours and 17 overall.

Women's No. 1 seeds announced: North Carolina, Ohio State, LSU, Duke

Women's No. 1 seeds announced: North Carolina, Ohio State, LSU, Duke

North Carolina, Ohio State, LSU and Duke were selected Monday as the No. 1 seeds for the women's NCAA tournament.

All four teams have started atop the NCAA brackets before, but the overall top seed Tar Heels the only ones already with a national title. It's the third No. 1 for North Carolina, which is seeking its second championship since 1994.

Duke has been a No. 1 seed five times and LSU has been selected atop the bracket three times. Ohio State received its second top seeding and the first for the Buckeyes since 1993.

The Atlantic Coast Confernece and Big East had the most teams in the field with seven, followed by the Southeastern and Pacific-10 conferences with six each.

North Carolina, ranked atop the final AP Poll, and No. 2 Ohio State each won their regular season and conference championships in their respective Atlantic Coast and Big Ten conferences.

North Carolina (29-1) was placed in the Cleveland regional and will open the tournament Saturday in Nashville against Big West champion UC Riverside.

Six-time national champion Tennessee is seeded second in the Cleveland bracket, and Big East regular season champion Rutgers is third.

"It's like the Final Four!" Tar Heels coach Sylvia Hatchell said of the tough Cleveland Regional. "I don't know how any bracket can get tougher than our bracket. ... But hey, that's just the way it is. We have to go play those games."

Others in the Nashville subregional are eigth-seeded Vanderbilt, playing at home. The Commodores will take on Big East newcomer Louisville, the No. 9 seeded team. Tennessee gets No. 15 seeded Army, a NCAA tournament newcomer and Patriot League champion on Sunday in Norfolk, Va.

Rutgers will open close to home when the Scarlet Knights take on 14th-seeded Dartmouth in Trenton on Sunday. Fourth-seeded Purdue rounds out the bracket with an opening round game Sunday against 13th-seeded Missouri State, winners of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Duke's road to the Final Four runs through Connecticut -- and that means a possible matchup with homestate favorite and No. 2 seed UConn. The Blue Devils (26-3) were assigned the Bridgeport Regional, as were the five-time national champion Huskies, who are making their 18th tournament appearance.

The Blue Devils open Sunday in Norfolk against Southwestern Conference champ Southern. The Huskies take on 15th-seeded Coppin State at University Park, Pa. on Sunday.

Georgia earned the third seed in the Bridgeport bracket and is matched up against 14th-seeded Marist on Sunday in Trenton. That subregional also features the battle of a couple of point guard coaches. Dawn Staley's 6th-seeded Temple will play America East champ Hartford, the 11th seeded team, coached by former UConn star Jennifer Rizzotti.

No. 4 seeded Michigan State, also placed in Bridgeport, opens with 13th-seeded Wis.-Milwaukee on Saturday in a Chicago subregional.

LSU (27-3), aiming for its third straight trip to the Final Four, was placed in the San Antonio Regional. The Lady Tigers open Saturday against Atlantic Sun champion Florida Atlantic in Norfolk.

The bracket sets up a potential meeting of two of the top centers in the game in the Lady Tigers' Sylvia Fowles and Oklahoma's freshman star Courtney Paris.

The Sooners, seeded No. 2, finished unbeaten in the Big 12 and Paris was a big reason why. She had 24 points and 26 rebounds against defending national champion Baylor in the tournament title game. She needs three rebounds to become the first player in NCAA history to log 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocked shots in a season. The Sooners open against 15th-seeded Pepperdine on Saturday in Denver.

The Cardinal of Stanford are the third seeded team in the San Antonio bracket and also open in Denver on Saturday against Southeast Missouri State. Big East newcomer DePaul earned the No. 4 seed in the region and play Liberty on Saturday in Chicago.

The Buckeyes (28-2) landed in the Albuquerque Regional, where second-seeded Maryland and defending national champion Baylor await. The Terps handed North Carolina its only loss this season and the Lady Bears are led by Big 12 player of the year Sophia Young.

Ohio State plays 16th-seeded Oakland, the Mid-Continent champ, in their tournament opener on Sunday in West Lafayette, Ind. Baylor locked up the No. 3 seed and play Big Sky champion Northern Arizona, the 14th seed on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.

PAC 10 power Arizona State is the fourth seed in the Albuquerque bracket and also opens in Tucson against 13th-seeded Stephen F. Austin, champions of the Southland Conference.

The women's Final Four is April 2 and 4 in Boston.

SEC Tournament Champs!

(8) Tennessee 63, (3) LSU 62

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- This time, the rookie came out on top.

Freshman Candace Parker made a driving one-hander from the left side of the lane with 17 seconds left, and No. 8 Tennessee held on to beat No. 3 LSU 63-62 in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship when Seimone Augustus' attempt went long.

"It wasn't open into the basket," said Augustus, the two-time SEC player of the year. "I didn't want to take a chance at drawing a foul, losing the ball, whatever the case may have been, so I stopped and shot the jumper."

When it was finally over, the Lady Vols (28-4) spilled onto the court while the predominantly pro-Tennessee crowd roared. Guard Shanna Zolman and center Tye'sha Fluker danced over to lead the band in "Rocky Top."

The Lady Vols won their 12th SEC tournament and second in a row. They beat a top-seeded LSU team in the finals last year too, 67-65.

"Obviously, this was a tough battle for both teams," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "A great basketball game I'm sure to watch, a challenging one to play in and coach."

Last month, LSU became the first SEC team to win at Tennessee in nearly 10 years, edging the Lady Vols 72-69. Augustus scored 32 points in that game. She had 24 Sunday, but it wasn't enough.

The Lady Tigers (27-3) led 62-58 with less than a minute remaining, but Zolman's 3-pointer with 35.5 seconds to play cut Tennessee's deficit to one. Erica White missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 33 seconds left, giving the Lady Vols a chance to take the lead. Tennessee chose not to call time out or hold for the last shot.

"In most of my coaching years, I've called time out. But I've found it very difficult at times to get the ball back inbounds," Summitt said. "You just have to trust your team. I think I've changed my philosophy in probably the last three years."

The 6-foot-4 Parker, the SEC freshman of the year, had the ball near the top of the key, then drove to the left against Scholanda Hoston, who is 6 inches shorter.

"It was just one on one with me and her," Parker said. "I knew I had the height advantage over her. I just took it and shot over her. Fortunately it went in."

Sidney Spencer scored 21 points and Parker, the tournament's most valuable player, finished with 20 for the Lady Vols. Zolman added 14.

Tennessee and LSU met in the SEC title game for the third time in four years -- LSU won in 2003 in North Little Rock.

Augustus, also the reigning national player of the year, reached double figures for the 127th time in her career, tying the record set by Missouri State's Jackie Stiles and Duke's Alana Beard. Sylvia Fowles added 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks for LSU.

Fowles hurt an ankle in the second half of LSU's 79-52 semifinal win over Kentucky, but she looked fine at the start against Tennessee. She made her first four shots and had 12 points, six rebounds and six blocks in the first half.

But Tennessee went on an 11-0 run late in the half and led 36-33 at the break. Spencer made all four of her 3-point attempts before the break. Fowles and Augustus combined to score LSU's first 16 points but went scoreless for the last 8:12 before halftime.

"We don't want to be good. I want to make that next step to being great," LSU coach Pokey Chatman said. "We'll work on that and we'll be a better basketball team."

LSU led 55-48 with 8:23 remaining, but Tennessee called time and went on a 10-0 run capped by Zolman's 3-pointer. Tennessee went 10-of-19 from 3-point range -- Spencer made five and Zolman four.

"When you give up 10 3-pointers in this environment this late in the year, it's going to be a struggle," Chatman said.

The Lady Vols haven't been their dominant selves this season, finishing second in the SEC at 11-3. It was their first regular season with more than one SEC loss since 1997.

But Tennessee improved to 12-5 in SEC title games, and now Summitt is talking about a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

"I think this team deserves a No. 1," Summitt said. "Now, whether we're going to get it or not, that's up to the committee."

2006 SEC Women's Basketball Awards Announced

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Southeastern Conference announced its 2006 women's basketball postseason awards Tuesday, highlighted by LSU's Seimone Augustus being named Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and Tennessee's Candace Parker being named Freshman of the Year. First-team and second-team All-SEC honorees, All-Freshman team, along with Player, Coach and Freshman, Defensive Player, 6th Woman and Scholar-Athlete of the Year were chosen by the league's 12 coaches.

Augutus, along with teammate Sylvia Fowles and Georgia duo Tasha Humphrey and Sherill Baker were unanimous first-team members. Rounding out the first-team were Parker, Armintie Price of Ole Miss, Dalila Eshe of Florida, Tennessee's Shanna Zolman and Vanderbilt's Dee Davis.

Baker was also named Defensive Player of the Year, while Vanderbilt's Liz Sherwood was named 6th Woman of the Year.

Florida's Sarah Lowe was named the SEC Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Kentucky's Mickie DeMoss, in her third season as head coach of the Wildcats was named SEC Coach of the Year. This season UK finished the regular season with a 20-7 overall record and the fourth seed of the tournament after going 9-5 in conference play.

The 2006 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament begins Thursday, March 2 and runs through Sunday, March 5 in North Little Rock, Ark. SEC's regional sports network (FSN South, FSN Southwest and FSN Florida) will televise all games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday while ESPN2 will broadcast the championship game at 6 p.m. ET.

The complete 2006 SEC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards follow.

First Team All-SEC
Dalila Eshe, Florida
*Sherill Baker, Georgia
*Tasha Humphrey, Georgia
*Seimone Augustus, LSU
*Sylvia Fowles, LSU
Armintie Price, Ole Miss
Candace Parker, Tennessee
Shanna Zolman, Tennessee
Dee Davis, Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC
Navonda Moore, Alabama
Marita Payne, Auburn
Sha Brooks, Florida
Cori Chambers, Georgia
Samantha Mahoney, Kentucky
Scolanda Hoston, LSU
Melanie Johnson, South Carolina
Alexis Hornbuckle, Tennessee
Caroline Williams, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman Team
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
KeKe Carrier, Auburn
Sha Brooks, Florida
Marshae Dotson, Florida
Carly Ormerod, Kentucky
Robin Porter, Mississippi State
Demetress Adams, South Caroloina
Candace Parker, Tennessee

Coach of the Year
Mickie DeMoss, Kentucky

Player of the Year
Seimone Augustus, LSU

Freshman of the Year
Candace Parker, Tennessee

Defensive Player of the Year
Sherill Baker, Georgia

6th Woman of the Year
Liz Sherwood, Vanderbilt

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Sara Lowe, Florida

(8) Tennessee 89, (12) Georgia 79

(8) Tennessee 89, (12) Georgia 79

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Candace Parker had 26 points and 12 rebounds to help No. 8 Tennessee pull away for an 89-79 win over No. 12 Georgia in the SEC tournament semifinals Saturday night.

Tye'sha Fluker added 19 points and Shanna Zolman had 16 for the Lady Vols, who advanced to play No. 3 LSU in Sunday night's championship game. Tennessee will make its 17th appearance in the title game -- the Lady Vols have won the tournament 11 times.

Tennessee (27-4) led 74-70 before going on an 8-0 run late in the game. Nicky Anosike made a pair of free throws, and Zolman followed a Georgia turnover with a 3-pointer to make it 79-70.

After another Georgia turnover, Parker was fouled with 4:09 remaining. She made one of two free throws, Tennessee rebounded the miss and Parker made a reverse layup to push the lead to 12.

The Lady Bulldogs (21-8) had possession down 85-79, but lost it on a jump ball with 1:18 to play. Georgia then forced a shot clock violation, but Tasha Humphrey's 3-pointer rimmed out. Parker, the SEC freshman of the year, rebounded with 36 seconds left and made two free throws.

Sherill Baker led Georgia with 20 points and Humphrey added 18.

Tennessee beat Georgia twice during the regular season by a combined 12 points, and this was by far the most competitive game of the tournament's first three days. None of the previous games had been decided by less than 15 points -- earlier in the day, LSU beat Kentucky 79-52.

Georgia started 1-of-8 from the field and fell behind 16-5, but rallied to 34-32 at halftime and the teams exchanged leads early in the second.

Zolman made four 3-pointers for a season total of 82, breaking Kara Lawson's school record of 79. She also had seven assists. Anosike added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lady Vols haven't been their dominant selves this season, losing to two unranked teams in one season for the first time since the women's ranking started in 1976. Point guard Alexis Hornbuckle was lost last month with a broken wrist.

Parker took over much of the ball-handling responsibility against Georgia's press, and although Tennessee had 18 turnovers, the Lady Vols made up for it with a 40-22 rebounding edge.

Tennessee and LSU will meet in the SEC title game for the third time in four years. LSU won the championship in 2003 in North Little Rock, and the Lady Vols won a season ago.

(8) Tennessee 77, Auburn 45

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Candace Parker had 17 points and 12 rebounds in her first SEC tournament game, leading No. 8 Tennessee over Auburn 77-45 in the quarterfinals Friday.

Parker, the Southeastern Conference freshman of the year, scored all her points in the first half as the Lady Vols built a 40-26 lead. Tennessee quickly pushed its lead to 35 in the second half and advanced to play either No. 12 Georgia or No. 23 Vanderbilt in the semifinals Saturday.

The Lady Vols (26-4) overwhelmed the Tigers at the start of each half. Tennessee led 13-0 after 4:03 of the first and went on a 24-3 run to start the second. Shanna Zolman made three 3-pointers during the second-half spurt and finished 4-of-6 from long range -- she scored 16 points.

Tye'sha Fluker led Tennessee with 19 points. She also had eight rebounds.

The Lady Vols haven't been their dominant selves in 2005-06, finishing second in the SEC at 11-3 -- their first regular season with more than one conference loss since 1997.

Tennessee point guard Alexis Hornbuckle was lost for the season last month with a broken wrist, and the Lady Vols have started only one player -- Parker -- every game this season. Tennessee has lost to two unranked teams in one season for the first time since the women's rankings started in 1976. The second of those defeats was Sunday's regular-season finale, a 95-93 home loss in overtime to Florida.

But the Lady Vols bounced back, especially on defense. Auburn (14-15) finished with only four assists and shot 28 percent from the field.

Sherell Hobbs led the Tigers with 11 points, and DeWanna Bonner added 10.

Zolman, a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior, has 78 3-pointers this season, one shy of Kara Lawson's school record.

Tennessee eliminated Auburn from the SEC tournament for the third time in four years. The Lady Vols' last loss to the Tigers anywhere was in the 1997 tournament.

Doubts haunt Lady Vols

Recent losses due to defense, rebounding

KNOXVILLE — No one really knows what the Lady Vols are going to do these days.

Not fans. Not opposing players and coaches. Not even Coach Pat Summitt.

"On some level, I have a feel," Summitt said. "The feel is I just have to wait and see. My feeling is I don't know going into (a game)."

It's been a Jekyll-and-Hyde season for a program with a Jordan-and-Pippen track record. The Lady Vols have experienced an excruciating cycle of impressing, improving and then imploding, beating 11 ranked opponents and losing to two unranked ones.

Despite closing the regular season with only four losses, the Lady Vols enter postseason play with an uncharacteristic sense of humility, complete with diminished hopes and a depleted roster. They're out of point guards, playing out of position and running out of time.

They take the court against Auburn in North Little Rock, Ark., this afternoon at 2:30 in the SEC Women's Tournament hoping to build momentum for another NCAA Tournament run and regain the swagger they appear to have lost over the last six weeks.

Tennessee has gone 7-4 since traveling to Duke on Jan. 23 undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country. The Lady Vols lost back-to-back road games that week to the Blue Devils and unranked Kentucky. They later fell at home to SEC champion LSU and Florida.

Last Sunday's overtime loss to Florida underlined many of the Lady Vols' problems. They struggled from start to finish with the Gators' full-court pressure. That was mainly due to having no true point guard after Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood transferred in December and Alexis Hornbuckle was lost to a broken wrist on Feb. 12.

But it wasn't just ball-handling that kept the Lady Vols from winning their home finale for the first time in 23 years.

They were again weak defensively, letting Florida score 52 points in the second half and surrendering a three-point lead in overtime. UT's season-high 28 turnovers resulted from poor passing in the half-court offense as much as Florida's press.

As impressive as UT has looked at times, it ended the regular season looking nothing like a championship team.

The problem is those weaknesses have been there all season. Summitt has harped on defense since preseason practice.

The Lady Vols lack the speed to keep up with quality opponents without Hornbuckle and Wiley-Gatewood. LSU guards Erica White and Scholanda Hoston penetrated with ease in the Lady Tigers' win over UT on Feb. 9. Florida point guard Sarah Lowe received little resistance Sunday, racking up six assists and not committing a turnover in 45 minutes.

And it could get worse for the Lady Vols as they advance in the postseason. Projected top seeds are filled with quick guards.

"In order to play the way we have in the past, we need more quickness on the perimeter," Summitt said.

But Tennessee's ways of old haven't been evident often this year. The Lady Vols only recently improved their rebounding, the other cornerstone of Summitt's teams, along with defense. They are the worst rebounding team in UT history at 39.2 per game.

This year's team still has the talent to make some noise in the postseason. Redshirt freshman Candace Parker has become a go-to player in recent weeks, and senior Shanna Zolman has come out of her midseason shooting slump.

Then again, it's not scoring that has Summitt concerned right now.

"I don't know if they're going to show up and be a great defensive team or not," Summitt said.

It's the one thing you can count on from the Lady Vols.

Florida Gators/Tennessee Lady Volunteers Recap

Florida 95, (5) Tennessee 93, OT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee doesn't seem so dominant anymore.

The No. 5 Lady Vols lost at home to an unranked team for the second time in school history and first time in 22 years, falling 95-93 to Florida in overtime Sunday.

On top of that, Tennessee lost to two unranked teams in one season for the first time since the women's rankings started in 1976. Its first loss to an unranked team this year came at Kentucky, 66-63 on Jan. 26.

Tennessee's strange regular season ended with a stinging loss on senior day and left coach Pat Summitt still harping on defense, the signature of her 32-year career.

"We're Tennessee. It's not like anyone is going to feel sorry for us," Summitt said. "We have yet to buy into defense. We have to bring that every possession."

The Lady Vols (25-4, 11-3 Southeastern Conference) had never lost to an unranked team in Thompson-Boling Arena, which opened in 1987. Unranked Cincinnati beat then-No. 12 Tennessee 72-69 on Nov. 26, 1984, in the university's old arena.

It was only the 16th loss for Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena. Florida won for the first time in Knoxville, becoming the second SEC team to win for the first time here. LSU did it in February, snapping Tennessee's 64-game home winning streak over SEC teams.

Brittany Davis scored a career-high 29 points and Sha Brooks added 25 for the Gators (20-7, 8-6), who improved to 2-34 all-time against Tennessee. Sarah Lowe added 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and no turnovers while playing the entire 45 minutes. Danielle Santos and Dalila Eshe each scored 13 points for Florida.

The Gators reached 20 wins for the first time under coach Carolyn Peck, a former Tennessee assistant.

"Teams come in and see Tennessee on the jersey and fold. The game is over before it even starts," Lowe said. "It's a matter of coming out and giving it everything you've got, and that's what we did."

Florida used a full-court press that forced most of Tennessee's season-high 28 turnovers and further exposed the loss of point guard Alexis Hornbuckle. Without a true backup, the Lady Vols have struggled to replace Hornbuckle, who broke her right wrist earlier this month and is out for the season.

"Another valuable lesson was handed to us. Our defense and ball-handling killed us," Summitt said.

Tennessee's Shanna Zolman said the Lady Vols aren't playing consistently.

"What bothers me most is that we knew our defense would carry us," Zolman said. "One game, we'll play 40 minutes of defense, and 20 minutes in another, and in another. It's not a top priority. Until it's a top priority, who knows?"

The Gators grabbed the lead early in the second half and didn't trail again until overtime. But that only lasted 15 seconds.

Candace Parker converted a three-point play to put Tennessee ahead 87-84 with 3 minutes left in the extra period.

Davis hit her only 3 of the game and then made the second of two free throws on the ensuing possession to give the lead back to Florida, and the Gators held on to win. After the buzzer, Peck and her players huddled at midcourt to celebrate.

"I know from being on the other side of being here, when Tennessee makes a run at you, most teams fold and go away," Peck said. "I thought our team did a good job of trying to maintain their composure."

Parker posted career-highs with 34 points and 15 rebounds. Zolman and Tye'sha Fluker each scored 22, and Sidney Spencer added 11 points. Fluker also had 16 rebounds, and Zolman had 10 assists.

Tennessee's only seniors -- Fluker and Zolman -- were honored before the game. Summitt presented flowers to Florida's four seniors -- Davis, Eshe, Lowe and Santos.

Florida had a season-high 20 steals that caused big problems for Tennessee, especially after the Gators got the lead.

Florida went up 51-50 on Brooks' 3 with 13:29 left in regulation, starting a 13-0 run. Santos capped it with a 3 over Parker's head that pushed the Gators' lead to 11.

The Lady Vols got back in it with a 10-2 run to cut it to 65-64 with 6:46 left. Tennessee cut it to one three more times before Eshe made two free throws with 34.4 seconds left to push it to 81-76. Lady Vols fans started to leave, but they missed Zolman's best basket of the day.

She hit a 3 with 8.4 seconds left to tie and it send it into overtime.

Tennessee Starts Fast, Cruises Past Auburn

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee played more like coach Pat Summitt wanted, and Tye'sha Fluker was one of the main reasons. Fluker scored a career-high 22 points and Sidney Spencer added 18 to help the No. 5 Lady Vols beat Auburn 81-56 on Thursday.

Tennessee (25-3, 11-2 Southeastern Conference) built a big lead in the first half and never relinquished it on the way to a 13th straight victory over Auburn.

"When Fluker is an anchor out there for us, she makes everyone else on the floor look better. It takes more than one player to defend her. She draws double teams, and that's going to open up the outside game," Summitt said. "That can make a huge difference on how this team fares in Little Rock (at the SEC tournament)."

The Lady Vols host Florida on Sunday to end the regular season.

Tennessee's Candace Parker had her seventh double-double of the season with 13 rebounds and 11 points, though she missed a dunk attempt in the second half.

Auburn (13-13, 4-9), which hasn't won in Knoxville since 1988, led early but couldn't take advantage of its large front line that at times was bigger than Tennessee's.

The Lady Vols' starting lineup has grown taller with the loss of point guard Alexis Hornbuckle, who is out for the season with a broken right wrist. Fluker started at center with three forwards at least 6-foot-3 and 5-10 Shanna Zolman at point guard.

"They're the only team in the country that can lose players like they've lost players and still stay in the top five in the country. They just keep going to the cupboard," Auburn coach Nell Fortner said.

"I thought we were big, but we're not big compared to them. They're huge."

The Tigers started three players at least 6-foot-4, including 6-7 freshman KeKe Carrier, but Tennessee's post players were faster.

Parker showed it on a steal at midcourt that she intended to end up as a dunk.

She dribbled full speed to the basket and went up with the ball in one hand but it bounced off the rim.

Parker, who won a dunk contest against male McDonald's high school All-Americans, has at times looked like she was going to dunk but instead altered her shots to lay-ins. Only three women have dunked in a collegiate game.

Summitt said she was OK with Parker's attempt because there were no close defenders.

"I really wasn't thinking about it. I was thinking attack. I took off too far. I just missed a dunk," Parker said.

Parker also had five assists.

Fluker was 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-10 from the foul line.

"It's my teammates. They're giving me the ball, and I have to finish," Fluker said.

The game featured two of the best freshmen in the SEC — Parker and Auburn's DeWanna Bonner, who led her team with 14 points.

Reserve Sherell Hobbs added 12 points for the Tigers.

The Lady Vols were ahead by as many as 16 in the first half and stretched it to 20 early in the second half.

Auburn had two quick baskets to trim it to 16, but the Tigers could not rally. They had 15 turnovers and were outrebounded 40-25 to give Tennessee several second chances.

During one sequence after halftime, Fluker missed a free throw, but Spencer put back the rebound and was fouled for a three-point play.

Tennessee took command in the first half with two runs. Auburn was ahead by six early when the Lady Vols took the lead on a 10-0 run that included three baskets by Parker. Nitasha Brown pulled the Tigers within one with a 3-pointer with 5:51 left before halftime.

Then Tennessee held Auburn scoreless for nearly four minutes with a 15-0 run. Spencer and Dominique Redding hit consecutive 3s to end the spurt and put the Lady Vols ahead 37-21.

Tennessee makes 500th appearance

Tennessee made its 500th appearance in The Associated Press women's basketball Monday, the first school to reach that figure.

Tennessee (24-3), which remained fifth, has been ranked in all but 14 polls and is on a run of 373 consecutive appearances. No. 20 Louisiana Tech is second in appearances with 444. The poll started in 1976.

All of Tennessee's national rankings have come with Pat Summitt as coach. Summitt credits the players for her program's success, which includes six NCAA championships and 104 appearances at No. 1 at the poll. Both figures are tops in the women's game.

"I think this speaks to the level of success we've had because of the caliber of players that have come through this program," she said. "The players are responsible for the consistency of this basketball program."

Tennessee was first ranked the week of Dec. 8, 1976. The Lady Vols have been in every poll since Feb. 17, 1985 and they haven't been out of the Top 10 since the week of March 3, 1997, when they were 11th.

(5) Tennessee 82, Alabama 65

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Shanna Zolman's new role for No. 5 Tennessee obviously hasn't taken away from what she does best.

Playing mostly at point guard, Zolman still equaled her career-high with 28 points and made seven 3-pointers to lift Tennessee to an 82-65 victory over Alabama on Sunday.

Her shooting was a big reason why the Lady Vols (24-3, 10-2 Southeastern Conference) were finally able to enjoy a mostly stress-free game after three consecutive three-point decisions.

"Right now, I'm enjoying playing the point," said Zolman, who made the switch after Alexis Hornbuckle was sidelined with a broken wrist a week earlier. "I just enjoy being able to have the ball in my hands and being able to direct what we're doing."

Tennessee continues to enjoy playing the Crimson Tide (9-16, 3-9), winning the past 30 meetings and leading by as many as 22 in the second half of this one.

Zolman had four 3s after the half and finished 7-of-12 from behind the arc, while her teammates made only two in eight attempts. All five starters scored in double figures for the Lady Vols.

Zolman is discovering another benefit to dumping the ball inside to Candace Parker & Co.: The open outside shots that can result when they return the favor.

"What she's found is that you give these post (players) the basketball, they're very unselfish," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "If they don't have a good 1-on-1 opportunity, they're kicking it out."

Nicky Anosike added 14 points for the Lady Vols, while Parker and Tye'sha Fluker had 12 points apiece and Sidney Spencer had 11. Parker made only 3-of-11 shots but she and Anosike had eight rebounds apiece.

Navonda Moore had another big game against the Lady Vols. She had a career-high 31 points, five more than her previous best this season, set in the last meeting against Tennessee.

"It's Tennessee. What more can you say?" said Moore, who made 11-of-12 free throws and four 3-pointers. "I like games like this. There's just something about playing against top-notch teams like Tennessee. It just gets me up."

Dee Merriweather added 15 points and nine rebounds and Kate Mastin scored 13 for the Tide.

Alabama twice cut its deficit to 12 points on Moore 3-pointers in the second half, but couldn't get any closer.

The relatively easy win gave the Lady Vols a respite after two three-point wins over ranked teams following a 72-69 loss to No. 2 LSU.

Summitt remains concerned about the lack of production from her reserves -- they scored just five points on Sunday -- but had few complaints about her starters Sunday.

"We needed them on the floor to answer every run they made," she said.

The Lady Vols made 17-of-30 shots in the second half. They had used a stingy defense to overcome 36 percent shooting in the first half. Parker drove past Chanel Johnson for a basket and foul with 11 seconds left and hit the free throw for a 37-28 lead, matching Tennessee's biggest of the half.

Tennessee forced 14 turnovers before halftime and closed the half on a 9-2 run, holding Alabama to only one field goal in the final four minutes. The Tide cut its turnovers in half after that, and the game little resembled the Lady Vols' 89-54 win at Knoxville in January.

"I was very pleased with our fight and our performance," Tide coach Stephany Smith said. "Especially in comparison to our previous game in Tennessee."

(5) Tennessee 58, (13) Georgia 55

ATHENS, Ga. -- Even down by 14 points midway through the second half, Tennessee never lacked for confidence against Georgia on Thursday night.

"The thought never crossed our mind that we were going to lose," guard Shanna Zolman said after the fifth-ranked Lady Vols rallied to beat No. 13 Georgia 58-55.

Georgia's Tasha Humphrey scored following an offensive rebound with 4:50 left to give the Lady Bulldogs a 55-48 lead. Georgia didn't score again as Tennessee closed with a 10-0 run to complete the comeback.

"We were trying to make our defensive pressure so great to put pressure on them," said Zolman, who filled in at point guard and finished with 18 points.

"In the last five minutes, our defensive pressure went up like that," she added, gesturing to the ceiling. "We tried to force them to make mistakes."

Candace Parker returned after spraining her ankle in the first half and led Tennessee with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Tye'sha Fluker set a season high with 10 boards as the Lady Vols outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs 42-27.

Parker scored the go-ahead basket with 17 seconds left and Zolman added two free throws with 7.3 seconds to play. Georgia took two timeouts and still couldn't get off an attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer.

"In the two timeouts we talked about who was going to get the ball, and do you think the right person got the ball?" asked a dejected Georgia coach Andy Landers, referring to the Lady Bulldogs' last possession.

"The game awareness just blows me away. Somehow or another it's got to be my responsibility and I'm not sure how to address it."

In its first game since losing starting point guard Alexis Hornbuckle for the season with a broken right wrist, Tennessee struggled with 21 turnovers. Hornbuckle had surgery Wednesday and was not with the team.

Zolman, best known for her 3-point shooting, assumed most of the responsibility of directing the offense, but Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said her team won with defense.

The Lady Vols used a 3-2 zone for the first time this year, according to Summitt, in hopes of containing Humphrey, the team's leading scorer and only inside threat.

Humphrey, averaging 20.6 points, was held to 10 points on 2-for-12 shooting from the field.

"We really wanted them to try to make a lot of outside shots," Summitt said. "I thought we did a nice job of limited Humphrey's touches. ... We thought we had to guard her with a guard and a half."

Cori Chambers was 3-for-12 from the field as Georgia was held to 33.3 percent shooting -- 10-for-30 in each half.

Tennessee, taking higher percentage shots closer to the basket, shot 46.8 percent from the field.

Georgia led 45-31 with 12:08 left, but Parker's basket with 2:52 to play cut it to 55-52. Fluker's inside basket made it 55-54 with 1:54 remaining.

The Lady Vols improved to 2-1 in their three games in seven days against ranked Southeastern Conference teams. Tennessee (23-3, 9-2) lost to then-No. 3 Louisiana State on Feb. 9 and beat No. 22 Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Georgia (17-7, 7-4) missed an opportunity to move into a second-place tie with Tennessee in the conference.

Sherill Baker led Georgia with 17 points and five steals. Megan Darrah had 10.

While the Lady Vols are left without a true point guard, Georgia lost four frontcourt players before the season and has been short-handed inside.

Tennessee's recovery from losing Hornbuckle appeared to begin with about 10 minutes left to play.

"I think other players had to realize they really had to help Shanna," Summitt said.

Weekly Teleconference

Coach Summitt addresses the upcoming games with Georgia and Alabama

Feb. 15, 2006

Tennessee Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt

Opening comments:

"Certainly our win over Vanderbilt was a great second half effort on the part of our team. Obviously a costly loss with Alexis Hornbuckle, but it's a situation where Alexis was so valuable to us in terms of setting the tempo offensively and defensively. She's the one player that I thought really got us out in transition, defended the point guard and slowed down the opponent's transition game. It's a huge loss for us. At the same time, as a coaching staff and as a team, there is no time for us to have a pity party or hang our heads. As a staff we're looking at this team and calculating what we need to do. As far as a line up goes, we'll continue to go with Dominique Redding, Sidney Spencer and Shanna Zolman on the perimeter and then Candace Parker and Nicky Anosike inside with Tye'sha Fluker off the bench. I think Dom has done some good things for us and has gained a lot of confidence and experience. We know we're facing one of the best teams in the league in Georgia. Playing down there is always a tough challenge. We have to be a very efficient basketball team to compete against Georgia and be successful in Athens."

On Georgia's guard Sherill Baker?


"It's almost like playing five on six, she's that quick. She has great anticipation: I think players that have quickness are always effective if you utilize it. When I think about her quickness, I cannot do so without thinking about her anticipation. She is a step ahead; she anticipates the second and third pass. I know against us she just took the ball out of our hands, she stepped up in the passing lanes. She's a great helper from the ball side and weak side. It's not like if she's away from you she's not dangerous. She is one of the best defenders in the country. We have to be alert to where she is, take care of the basketball, shorten our passes and just really run our screens and try to be effective and protective of the ball."


On this type of situation with the loss of a key player, can you draw on things...


"Everyone becomes more responsible for the success of each possession. It's not like one or two players are involved, it's five players. We have to be not only mindful, but also committed to that and take a different level of ownership on possession basketball and individual commitment to taking care of the ball across the board. Certainly we can do some things by committee, we can play defense by committee, and we have to all be on the same page. This hasn't been what I'd call an eager team to support one other defensively, and now they have to guard the ball and provide support to each other and to the ball. Offensively, we need to be more mindful of the value of the possession and the execution of it. We cannot have lazy cuts or have a team that is not really committed to being a great screening team. We'll have to make each other better with our screens and our passes and our cutting. We've always emphasized getting the ball inside. That becomes more a point of emphasis to play from the inside out."


On Dominique Redding, what does she have to do for you now?


"She has to bring to our basketball team a commitment to play both ends of the floor. The one thing that she and Spencer have both neglected to put in their packages is a rebounding mindset at both ends. Those two are capable of getting on the boards for us and consistently coming up with some big numbers, but they are coming up with goose eggs or maybe one board. That's unacceptable for two juniors. Now if we were playing freshmen, I might say that I need to be patient, that they are not aware of what they need to do and how to anticipate covering the boards. These two should know. We expect that to be a point of emphasis for both Dom and Sidney."


On Candace Parker's versatility on offense and the mismatches she creates for opposing defenses?


"Candace has great versatility, particularly offensively. She can post up, go face up, put the ball on the floor allows her to play any of the five positions. I think she's getting better and more comfortable with each game. She understands that she has to take on even a bigger load with Alexis out. You can play her at the point. A lot of teams look to go zone on us, but she can shoot over the top. We can take her in a set and post her up. She's starting to really read well. Some teams double team her but she's terrific at getting the ball outside. Her inside action has been very good. She's shown a lot of composure there. If they want to go one-on-one, she's got a very strong offensive package in the paint."


On the breakdown of Georgia...


"On the inside, with Humphrey, that is a tough match up for anyone in the league. As I see it, it's hard to defend her once she gets the ball. We need to do as solid of a job as we can to bring the defensive pressure. She's shooting over 55 percent, and she can step out and shoot the three, so we have to be aware of playing her in the face-up game. She's also shooting very well from the line. We need to not turn the ball over and give Baker lay-ups. She is shooting the ball very well from inside the arc. I have to believe a lot of those points come off her tenacity on defense. We are clearly aware of it, but you can be aware of something and still struggle to handle it if you're not cautious. Chambers is having a good year and doing a lot for the Georgia team. We have to defend her, we have to defend all of their players. At that four spot, she can stretch us. We have to also be aware of their high-low game. They do a great job of that triple post, Macon and Humphrey's spacing and how they play well together is going to be a challenge for our post game. The biggest challenge will come from defending the quickness that this team possesses overall."


On the nature of your brainstorming over the last few days with your staff?


"It's been a combination. We look at the big picture, offensive and defensive schemes, and we really have to look at personnel and numbers. I spoke to the lack of rebounding by Spencer and Redding. Fluker could do so much more on the boards. For minutes played, Sybil Dosty is doing an awesome job, I hope she can be healthy and help us on Thursday. Anosike and Parker can both get more boards. Our guards can rebound more on the defensive end. There are a lot of nights our guards don't rebound and that tells me that they are not committed to finishing the defense. There are a lot of ways we can be more efficient. It seems to be more glaring when you lose one of your starters and key players. The overall scheme, there becomes more of an awareness now of what we have to do. We've been talking about this as coaches but I believe this team will understand it; they understand that Alexis is a huge loss for our basketball team. They can look around but can't look very far or very deep."


On Alexis' handling of her broken wrist and this situation?


"She's handled as well as you can handle it. Right now, she's not that far removed from the game. I think when she has to sit and watch and be in street clothes, I think that's when it really hits players and the reality sets in."


When Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood left, did you ever worry about losing Alexis?


"I'm always concerned. If we lose players it obviously affects the depth of our team. In this situation, you can go out every day paranoid, but I certainly don't plan to coach that way. At the same time, we've talked about it as a staff, that you cannot afford to lose a guard, period. Now we're in the situation and we cannot afford not to find other ways to be successful. We have to handle this adversity in a positive way. We need to put our heads together as a coaching staff and as a basketball team and figure out a way to get it done. We're not going to cancel the rest of the season, that's for sure."


On the rivalry with you and Georgia's head coach Andy Landers?


"The rivalry is more between the programs. I don't feel a personal rival with Andy. Probably years ago it was a bit more intense, but for different reasons. It was more for the recruiting than for the games. We were recruiting the same players and then we'd go on the court and try to be successful. I think the rivalry is more about Georgia versus Tennessee or Tennessee versus Georgia, two programs that have remained a constant in being among the top teams in this league.


On Andy Landers being the last male coach of a women's team in the SEC?


"He's loving it. That's my first thought, he's got to love it."


On the practices this week?


"We've tried to come together as a team and talk about our preparation for Georgia. That's the main thing we've worked on. We kept our routine of Tuesday off, had a good practice on Monday, we'll practice today and really spend some time again preparing for Georgia and then meet with our team and talk about how we have to execute in Athens and what to expect. The one good thing about road games is that you have a lot more time to meet with players individually and visit with your team. You don't have as many distractions."


On the game against Alabama on Sunday?


"We have back-to-back road games; that's always a challenge. I know this Alabama team has had some injuries and struggles, but it seems the best therapy for most of these teams is for Tennessee to come play you. We seem to bring out the best in everyone and I would expect that to be the case when we go to Alabama."

Hornbuckle Scheduled For Surgery Wednesday

Tennessee point guard Alexis Hornbuckle will have surgery to fix her broken right wrist Wednesday.

Trainer Jenny Moshak says further testing shows that Hornbuckle needs surgery, and the team's orthopedic hand specialist will put in a screw to help heal the broken bone.

Hornbuckle broke her wrist diving for a ball in the first half of Sunday's victory over Vanderbilt. The Lady Vols' starting point guard was their third leading scorer.

Coach Pat Summitt is trying several players at point guard in practice looking for a fill-in for Hornbuckle. The Lady Vols visit 13th-ranked Georgia Thursday night.

Lady Vols' Hornbuckle Breaks Wrist

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee point guard Alexis Hornbuckle is out for the season after breaking her right wrist against Vanderbilt.

"Obviously, we are devastated by the loss of Alexis," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said Monday.

Hornbuckle broke her wrist Sunday when she dove for the ball in the first half of No. 5 Tennessee's 70-67 win over No. 22 Vanderbilt.

"She shook it off and played on sheer adrenaline for the rest of the game," Tennessee trainer Jenny Moshak said.

The wrist was re-examined after the game, and X-rays Monday confirmed the break.

The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and a team-leading 3.9 assists while starting 24 of 25 games.

"She has played a key role for us this season," Summitt said. "Now, it's time for this team to step up and find out what they are made of."

The Lady Vols (22-3, 8-2 Southeastern Conference) travel to No. 13 Georgia on Thursday.

(5) Tennessee 70, (22) Vanderbilt 67

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee still isn't playing with the intensity coach Pat Summitt wants, and she doesn't understand it.

Candace Parker scored 19 points and fifth-ranked Tennessee rallied to beat No. 22 Vanderbilt 70-67 on Sunday to avoid losing consecutive home conference games for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The Lady Vols (22-3, 8-2 Southeastern Conference) were down 14 in the first half and used a 14-4 run in the last 5:51 to improve to 20-0 against Vanderbilt (17-8, 6-5) in Knoxville.

It was another inconsistent outing when the Lady Vols struggled early and found a way to win in the end.

"Vanderbilt was coming out and they were really taking us to school with their offense and our poor defense. I don't know. I don't know what it's going to take. Most teams by now have bought in," Summitt said.

"I don't understand. I can't relate to it. There's not a bone in my body that's as laid back as I've watched them play some times. It's just hard to watch."

Tennessee has not lost two straight SEC games at home since losing to Kentucky and then Georgia in the 1984-85 season. No. 3 LSU earned its first victory ever here on Thursday night and snapped Tennessee's 64-game SEC home winning streak.

Vanderbilt led nearly the entire game behind a strong inside game from Liz Sherwood, who had 20 points.

Tennessee finally found its defense and offense down the stretch.

The Commodores were ahead 63-56 on Carla Thomas' basket with 6:14 remaining. Then Sidney Spencer had a jumper and Shanna Zolman made a pair of free throws to get the Lady Vols going.

Nicole Jules scored for Vanderbilt, and Thomas had a basket around five points by Parker. Spencer scored again to tie it at 67 with 2:50 left.

Vanderbilt did not score again. Alexis Hornbuckle made two free throws with 2:22 to go for a 69-67 lead, and Tennessee held on.

Sherwood was whistled for her fifth foul with 1:51 left, but Parker missed both free throws.

Cherish Stringfield missed a 3 for Vanderbilt, which got the ball back with 32 seconds left after Tennessee had a shot clock violation. Spencer made the second of two free throws, and the game ended when Parker caught Caroline Williams' deflected 3-point attempt.

"I feel like we played really close to them. Our team really outworked Tennessee today," said Vanderbilt point guard Dee Davis, who had nine points and nine assists.

Spencer finished with 11 points and Hornbuckle had 10.

"I understand coach's frustration," Spencer said. "She never knows what we're going to do. It seems like we have to wait until we're down to step up."

Jules had 12 points for Vanderbilt while Stringfield had 11 and Thomas 10.

Summitt earned win No. 900 at Vanderbilt on Jan. 19, and just like that game, the Commodores were up by as many as 14 in the first half.

"At Vanderbilt, they came back and made a run, and we didn't fight back. I thought tonight that they would make their runs, and every time they made runs, we made runs back and we fought back all game," Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said.

The Lady Vols had the advantage at the foul line. They were 23-of-32 while Vanderbilt was 3-of-7.

"That happens every time I come to Tennessee. If I had it figured out, it wouldn't keep happening," Balcomb said.

The Lady Vols tied it at 43 with 14:54 remaining after a quick 5-0 run, but the Commodores were able to stretch their lead back to seven. They pushed it to as many as nine before Tennessee took over.

Vanderbilt had won four straight since losing at LSU on Jan. 26.

Jules gave the Commodores a 30-16 lead with 4:59 left. But Hornbuckle got an 11-0 run started with a putback, and the Lady Vols cut it to 30-27 with 1:33 to go.

(3) LSU 72, (5) Tennessee 69

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Third-ranked LSU is the new team to beat in the Southeastern Conference.

The Lady Tigers became the first SEC team to win at Tennessee in nearly 10 years with a 72-69 victory Thursday night and moved closer to winning a second straight regular-season league title.

Seimone Augustus scored 32 points, Scholanda Hoston added 18 and Sylvia Fowles had 10 points and 15 rebounds for LSU (21-1, 9-0).

The fifth-ranked Lady Vols (21-3, 7-2) had not lost a league game in Thompson-Boling Arena since a loss to Georgia on Dec. 8, 1996, a span of 64 games. LSU was 0-16 in Knoxville.

"Right now my thoughts aren't so much about ending the homecourt streak as just getting ready for Vanderbilt (on Sunday)," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.

"It's not a time for us to be feeling sorry for ourselves. We did a lot of good things, particularly in the second half. We have to get back tomorrow and keep things pointed in the right direction as a basketball team."

Most of the LSU players were unaware of their place in history until coach Pokey Chatman told them in the locker room after the game.

"It's great to be the first team to win here," Augustus said. "I think it was kind of an emotional thing for everybody who's a part of it from the coaches, the managers, the trainers. Everybody felt something."

The Lady Vols won seven consecutive SEC regular-season crowns until last year when LSU beat Tennessee in Baton Rouge to earn its first title.

But the Lady Vols got revenge by beating then-No. 1 LSU 67-65 to win the SEC tournament championship.

Tennessee needed to beat LSU to get back into the conference race. The Lady Vols have lost two league games for the first time since 1996-97 when they were 8-4.

"This conference doesn't allow you to enjoy it a whole lot because you know there's a talented Georgia basketball team that got to sit home and rest," Chatman said. "It has to be huge for the players to come in here and play against a quality opponent like Tennessee."

The Lady Tigers became only the third SEC team and eighth team overall to win in Knoxville, joining Duke, Connecticut, Louisiana Tech, Georgia, Texas, Stanford and Auburn. It was Tennessee's 15th loss in the arena which opened in the 1987-88 season.

The Lady Vols' first two losses this season came in consecutive games at Duke and at Kentucky. Their next game is against Vanderbilt here.

"We're not going to lose Sunday," Lady Vol Shanna Zolman said.

LSU got off to a big lead early, going up 11-1 in the opening minutes. The Lady Tigers led by as many as 13 in the first half before a much tighter second half set up a hectic ending.

The Lady Vols were ahead 67-66 with 2:19 remaining, before Augustus gave LSU the lead for good. Hoston pushed it to 70-67 with another basket, and Candace Parker pulled Tennessee within one with 46.8 seconds to go.

Fowles got open on the next possession and scored easily with 20 seconds left for the final margin.

Tennessee's Dominique Redding had a shot blocked in the final seconds, and Parker fouled Augustus on the rebound. Augustus missed both free throws with 6.2 remaining to give the Lady Vols some hope.

Zolman dribbled up the court and passed the ball as she was falling down to Redding, who couldn't get off a shot. The game ended with the Lady Vols and Summitt standing in silence.

Tennessee's Alexis Hornbuckle was called for a technical in a key sequence down the stretch. She tied it at 62 on a layup with 4:19 remaining and was fouled.

Hornbuckle said the referee called a foul on her for taunting after the play.

Chatman sent Augustus to the line, and she made both shots for the technical to put LSU back in the lead. Hornbuckle then made her free throw.

"From my viewpoint, she was excited about the play. I want to take a look at it," Summitt said. "I thought she was just excited, but (official) June (Courteau) jumped on it. I hope she made the right call."

Augustus was 10-for-20 from the floor and 10-for-12 from the free-throw line. Fowles played only 27 minutes because of foul trouble, and she was briefly on the bench before halftime after falling on her back.

Parker led the Lady Vols with 23 points. Tye'sha Fluker had 14 and Hornbuckle added 11. Zolman was just 2-for-11 from the field.

The Lady Tigers extended their SEC winning streak to 23 games. Their last loss was on Feb. 29, 2004, at Tennessee.

Arkansas Lady Razorbacks/Tennessee Lady Volunteers Recap

(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.

No. 5 Tennessee Routs Mississippi

OXFORD, Miss. - Sidney Spencer and Shanna Zolman each scored 18 points to help No. 5 Tennessee beat Mississippi 78-63 on Thursday night.

Alexis Hornbuckle added 14 points to help the Lady Vols (20-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) clinch their 30th straight 20-win season under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt.

This one was a struggle for a while. Ole Miss led by as many as eight after a 12-0 run in the first half, and led 28-26 at halftime. Jada Mincy's free throw with 11:28 to play gave the Rebels a 46-41 lead.

The Lady Vols countered with a 20-5 run keyed by two 3-pointers by Spencer during the following 4 1/2 minutes. Tennessee led 61-51 on Zolman's jumper with 6:59 left, and the Lady Vols were in control the rest of the way.

Tennessee's Tye'sha Fluker added 12 points.

The Lady Vols won their first 18 games, then lost consecutive games to No. 2 Duke and No. 21 Kentucky before beating Alabama convincingly earlier this week and then struggling in their 13th straight victory over the Rebels, a string which dates back almost exactly 10 years.

Ole Miss hasn't beaten Tennessee since the Rebels won 78-72 on Feb. 4, 1996.

Carla Bartee had 14 points, Danetra Forest added 13 and Armintie Price finished with 10 for the Rebels (12-9, 2-6), who have lost four of five and eight of their last 11.

Ole Miss has lost three straight against ranked opponents since early-season upsets of Texas Tech and Rutgers, and the Rebels on Sunday play at third-ranked LSU.

Weekly Teleconference

Coach Summitt addresses the upcoming games with Mississippi and Arkansas

Feb. 1, 2006

Tennessee Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt

Opening comments:
"Our basketball team made some progress, just in terms of our practice preparation. What we focused on primarily was our defense and board play and our leadership, just taking ownership of what we needed to do as a team. Overall, the majority of our players responded. We got quality playing time for Alex Fuller and Sybil Dosty. Those are two players who I wanted to play a lot. Unfortunately, I also wanted to play Lindsey Moss. She broke her nose again and could not get a lot of minutes. For us right now, it's just trying to figure out players who we can depend on and how deep we can go during the actual game. Right now, I am comfortable to go eight deep."

Looking ahead to going down to Ole Miss:


"This Ole Miss team certainly has had some impressive wins, Rutgers a big game (a 67-57 Lady Rebel win). (Armintie) Price is one of the most explosive offensive players, one of the best one-on-one players, who we will have to face and one of the best in the league. She is someone we certainly have to be ready for."

On what the lineup looks like:


"I will probably stick with our look from our last game (an 89-54 win). I took (Sidney) Spencer out of the lineup, put (Shanna) Zolman back in to give us two guards. That is ideally what I would like to do: (Candace) Parker starting at the 3. Parker can play a number of positions; she has just got to rebound more from that spot. We have addressed that. And then Tye'sha (Fluker) has been performing better on the boards. That is the key there. Our inside players and our defensive rebounding has been really weak, and I don't understand that. Hopefully, as we put more emphasis on it and just focus on trying to control the defensive glass, I think we will be a better basketball team if we can do that."

On whether she is concerned about Parker's rebounding from the 3 position:


"I think that she is aware and more mindful now than she has been. There has been a pattern there when she has been at the 3. That is my concern because she is such a great rebounder when she is at the 4. Obviously, she scored for us at the 3 on Sunday against Alabama, but at the same time, she didn't pursue the ball, didn't really play aggressive to the boards. It is a concern, but it certainly is something that is fixable."

On what Parker needs to do to become more active on the boards:


"She just has to be focused and that has to be a priority in her game. Certainly, we have talked about it. I just have to make sure that if she is not going to the boards, that she is coming out and refocusing and making that a priority when she goes back in."

On whether Arkansas has been a surprise team:


"I think that they have. I have not had a chance to watch Arkansas play. They have proven that they can win in this league. (Arkansas head coach) Susie Gardner has obviously challenged this team, and they have responded. If you look at this league, a lot of people thought that Arkansas is not going to be a factor, but that is not true."

On guarding Ole Miss guard Armintie Price:


"Armintie is a great slasher and a creater off the dribble. Even against a zone, she can get into gaps. I know that we need great one-on-one defense against her, but at the same time, I think we need great support. It's not a situation where we are going to ask someone to just go guard her and stop her. It's going to take a player and a half, maybe two players at a time to contain her in her dribble drives. And obviously, she is a great rebounder. You just have to keep her off the boards. She plays hard. She's tough minded and obviously a very competitive player."

On if Tennessee is planning to stick with man-to-man defense against Ole Miss:


"Yes. I think this team right now understands that if we are going to get this done and be a team that can make a strong run to finish out the SEC, we have to influence with our man-to-man defense, which can change up some. But right now the commitment of the coaching staff and the players is to really play our tough, aggressive man-to-man."