Lady Vols roll over Rebels

By Rusty Miller - Ap Sports Writer     Mar 28, 2007

? To beat Tennessee, Mississippi needed to play a nearly perfect game.

Instead, Candace Parker and the Lady Vols did.

With Parker dominating at both ends and the talented Lady Vols getting contributions from almost everybody else on the roster, they rolled over the Rebels and into their 17th Final Four 98-62 on Tuesday night.

By winning the Dayton Regional, top-seeded Tennessee (32-3) moves on to play North Carolina in the national semifinals in Cleveland on Sunday. LSU (30-7) and Rutgers (26-8) meet in the other game.

Parker scored 24 points and had 14 rebounds, but she dictated the game in many ways. She hit 10 of 14 shots from the field and also had three assists, three steals and five blocked shots in a virtual highlight film of a game.

She might have posted even gaudier numbers if coach Pat Summitt hadn’t rested her at the end of the first half and for the final 12:10 of the game.

Sidney Spencer had 16 of her 22 points in the second half. Shannon Bobbitt had 14 points, including 10 of Tennessee’s first 24 in a fast start. Alberta Auguste added 12 points.

Armintie Price dazzled for 30 points for seventh-seeded Ole Miss (24-11), which has been within a game of the Final Four five times and has lost every time. Ashley Awkward chipped in with 14 points.

The Lady Vols shot 52 percent from the field and hit 8-of-11 three-pointers while limiting Ole Miss to just 32 percent shooting from the field. The Rebels were just 3 of 20 behind the arc.

“This team is very special,” Summitt said after she was presented with the regional championship trophy. “Congratulations, ladies. Let’s move on!”

Parker, one of the most acclaimed players in the country, was at her very best. After point guard Bobbitt, who averages 8.5 points, had 10 points in the opening 7 minutes, the 6-foot-4 Parker took over.

She had 14 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists in the first half as the Lady Vols coasted to a 51-22 lead.

The Lady Vols shot 59 percent from the field, making 5-of-7 three-pointers. They were crisp on offense, tough on defense and seemed to come up with every loose ball.

No one can argue with Tennessee’s incredible NCAA legacy, which is backed by a series of staggering numbers. The Lady Vols are the only team to be included in all 26 tournaments, in which they have a 96-19 record. In regional championship games only, they are 17-5.

Ole Miss, which lost 81-69 when the Southeastern Conference rivals met in the regular season, had hoped to set a frantic pace with its fullcourt pressure and fastbreak offense. But it was the Lady Vols who scored early and often to take control while completely disrupting the Rebels’ plans.

Tennessee broke out to an 18-8 lead. Parker had two assists on seeing-eye backdoor passes to teammates who were all alone behind the defense. And when Spencer or Alexis Hornbuckle penetrated, they would toss lob passes for easy baskets under the hoop.

Bobbitt hit threes from opposite corners on the first two possessions. And Tennessee was off and running.

Price was about all the offense that the Rebels had during the blitz. She scored 15 of their first 20 points before picking up her third foul late in the half.

At one point in the second half, Price had hit 7 of her 12 shots from the field and the rest of the Rebels were 8 for 41.

Through their first three NCAA games, Ole Miss had forced an average of 26 per game, but the organized, disciplined Lady Vols said before the game that their top priority would be taking care of the ball. They did that, totaling just 15 turnovers – their season average.

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