Feb. 24, 2008

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Candace Parker scored 19 points and set a new Tennessee record for blocks as the No. 3 Lady Vols overcame a slow start to beat Mississippi State 72-46 on Sunday.

Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle each added 11 points for the Lady Vols (25-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference).

Alexis Rack led Mississippi State (16-12, 4-9) with 15 points, and Marneshia Richard added 11. The Lady Bulldogs shot only 28.8 percent from the field during the game.

Parker blocked five shots to set a new Tennessee career record with 247, surpassing Shelia Frost's total of 246.

The Lady Vols had a sluggish offensive first half, shooting just 38 percent from the field and making only 3-of-8 free throws. However, Tennessee's defense held Mississippi State without a field goal for over 10 minutes.

Despite the strong defense, the Lady Vols only held a 27-22 halftime lead.

Mississippi State was trailing 47-40 after Richard's layup with 7:39 left.

The Lady Vols answered with a 10-1 run capped by Shannon Bobbitt's 3-pointer to extend their lead to 16 and put the game out of reach with 5:04 left.

Tennessee built a 16-5 lead in the first half on free throws by Parker with 9:47 left before the half, but the Lady Bulldogs went on a 13-0 run. Rack made a 3-pointer before stealing the ball from Bobbitt.

Rack was fouled by Nicky Anosike and sank both free throws to give Mississippi State a 18-16 lead with 4:25 left in the first half. Tennessee closed the half on a 11-4 run to take a 27-22 advantage at the break.

Tennessee overcame the slow first half with 50 percent field goal shooting in the second half while Mississippi State shot 27.3 percent during the half.

It was the second time this season Tennessee had to rally against Mississippi State, a team that has never beaten the Lady Vols.

The Lady Vols won 87-69 in Starkville on Feb. 7 after trailing by as many as nine points in the first half.