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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, January 7, 2007

Parker leads No. 4 Lady Vols, 70-64

Associated Press

Tennessee's Candace Parker soars over UConn's Renee Montgomery for one of her seven blocks in yesterday's game.

BOB CHILD | Association Press

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HARTFORD, Conn. — Candace Parker had been waiting for a chance to make her mark in Tennessee's storied rivalry with Connecticut.

Parker scored 30 points, including the sixth dunk of her career, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked six shots to help No. 4 Tennessee hold off fifth-ranked Connecticut, 70-64, yesterday at the Hartford Civic Center.

"I wanted to have a chance to dunk on Connecticut's court and I did," the 6-foot-4 sophomore said.

She didn't start out well, missing five of her first six shots, but then got going.

"As the game went on she got better and better," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "She stepped up big for us."

Sidney Spencer added 14 points for the Lady Vols (14-1), who have beaten their rivals three straight times.

Charde Houston scored 23 points to lead UConn (12-1). Leading scorer Renee Montgomery was held to four points on 2-for-11 shooting.

"Charde did about as much as she could do," said Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma. "She needed some help from other guys and they couldn't do it."

Parker's fourth dunk this season came with 18:20 left in the second half, giving Tennessee a 45-29 lead. The dunk, however, seemed to ignite Connecticut, which went on a 31-15 spurt to tie the game at 60 with 4:04 left.

Spencer answered with a 3-pointer for a 63-60 edge with 3:40 left and the Lady Vols never trailed after that.

"It's a plus to be Candace Parker's teammate," said Lady Vols guard Alexis Hornbuckle. "She made the plays when we needed it."

Parker is the fifth woman to dunk in a college game and has dunked the most. She joins Michelle Snow of Tennessee, Sancho Lyttle of Houston, Charlotte Smith of North Carolina and Georgeann Wells of West Virginia.

NO. 1 MARYLAND 97, NO. 19 MICHIGAN STATE 57

Crystal Langhorne scored 28 points on 13-for-14 shooting, Kristi Toliver made four 3-pointers and the Terrapins (17-0) snapped the Spartans' (12-3) five-game winning streak with a rout at College Pak, Md.

NO. 7 OHIO STATE 53, KENTUCKY 51

Marscilla Packer's jumper with 16 seconds left lifted the Buckeyes (13-1) over the Wildcats (12-4) after Samantha Mahoney and Sarah Elliott hit back-to-back shots to tie the game at Columbus, Ohio.

NO. 8 OKLAHOMA 77, NEBRASKA 69

Courtney Paris shook off early foul trouble to score 19 points and and grab 14 rebounds for her 42st straight double-double, and Kendra Moore added 18 points to help the Sooners (12-1, 2-0 Big 12) turn back the Cornhuskers (13-3, 1-1) at Lincoln, Neb.

NO. 9 BAYLOR 71, KANSAS 64

Bernice Mosley had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jessica Morrow added 15 points and the Lady Bears (15-1, 2-0 Big 12) held off the Jayhawks (6-9, 0-2) at Lawrence, Kan., for their 12th straight victory.

NO. 12 STANFORD 69, NO. 21 CALIFORNIA 44

Candice Wiggins made a season-high six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Cardinal (11-3, 5-0 Pac-10) extended their winning streak to nine with a rout of the Golden Bears (11-4, 2-3) at Berkeley, Calif.

NO. 13 LOUISVILLE 88, SETON HALL 67

Angel McCoughtry had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven steals, and the Cardinals (16-1, 1-1 Big East) opened the second half with a 14-3 run for a 49-33 lead in beating the Pirates (9-5, 1-2) at Louisville, Ky.

KANSAS STATE 48, NO. 17 TEXAS A&M 45

Claire Coggins scored 20 points to become the 32nd Kansas State player with 1,000 career points, leading the Wildcats (13-2, 1-1 Big 12) to an upset of the Aggies (10-3, 0-1) at Manhattan, Kan.

NO. 18 MARQUETTE 82, NO. 23 DEPAUL 79

Sophomore Krystal Ellis scored 29 points, including four free throws in the final 32.5 seconds, helping the visiting Golden Eagles (15-2, 3-0 Big East) hold off the Blue Demons (11-4, 1-1) in Chicago.

RUTGERS 63, NO. 22 PITTSBURGH 39

Kia Vaughn scored 12 of her 16 points in the final 10 minutes and the Scarlet Knights (7-5, 2-1 Big East) closed with a 25-4 run in a rout of the Panthers (12-2, 0-1) at Piscataway, N.J.

NO. 24 BOWLING GREEN 75, BUFFALO 42

Ali Mann scored 24 points, Megan Thorburn added 21 points and seven rebounds, and the Falcons (12-2, 2-0 Mid-American) opened a 32-8 lead in cruising past the Bulls (5-9, 0-2) at Bowling Green, Ohio.