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Sunday, Feb. 6 5:30pm ET
Randall's 19 points leads Tennessee | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Five games in nine days couldn't take its toll on No. 4 Tennessee. Semeka Randall scored 19 points and the Lady Vols, showing signs of fatigue throughout the second half, held off a rally by Alabama to win 65-47 Sunday. Randall added seven rebounds and Kara Lawson scored 13 points for Tennessee (19-3, 7-1 SEC). "Fatigue definitely played a factor," Lawson said. "Playing five games in nine days, we had tired legs. The first seven or eight minutes we executed well. That helped us a lot." Shondra Johnson led Alabama (13-8, 3-5) with 19 points. The Crimson Tide, who trailed by 22 points early in the second half, rallied to within 14 on Leigh Papisan's basket with 8:50 left in the game. But Tennessee used an 11-2 run to regain control at 58-35 with 4:35 left. "It's been physically demanding," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said of the rugged nine days. "Even if you take a day off, there's still the mental part of it. The team handled it well overall. We look forward to a less demanding week. Now we'll get some rest." The Lady Vols were hot early in the first half, connecting on 10 of their first 12 shots to take a 22-6 lead after eight minutes. Michelle Snow led the early charge with six points and April McDivitt and Kristen Clement added 3-pointers. Tennessee's aggressive defense posed problems for Alabama, which turned the ball over 23 times in the game. "I think it was very obvious at the start of the game that we had a lot of young players on the court," Alabama coach Rick Moody said. "We are not really ready for that physical a game. I thought in the second half we adjusted our approach a little bit. I'm proud of our kids in the second half for coming back out and being competitors, but the turnovers are what really killed us." The Lady Vols' shooting cooled off considerably after the fast start. Tennessee scored just 12 points in the final 10 minutes of the half. But Alabama's offensive struggles continued, and despite Johnson's six points in the final two minutes, the Crimson Tide trailed 34-16 at halftime. Summitt praised her team for its defensive effort. Alabama's point total was the lowest by a Tennessee opponent this season. "Overall we had real strong intensity on defense," she said. "Our on-the-ball defense was very strong and was a big factor in their turnovers." | ALSO SEE Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
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