Tennessee won their 13th SEC women’s tournament championship in front of 12,392 at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
Candace Parker scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Lady Vols past LSU 61-55 Sunday night, helping the Lady Vols avenge an earlier regular season loss to the Lady Tigers. LSU defeated the Lady Vols 78-62 in on Feb. 14, handing them only their second loss of the season.
The Lady Vols improved to 13-5 all-time in SEC tournament championship games.
Parker said the Lady Vols had extra motivation playing in front of a predominantly crowd.
“We're really excited to get this win tonight. We really want to thank our fans because they're the best in America," said Park. "It was like a home game tonight, playing in front of all that orange. But we know that this is the SEC championship, and we have bigger fish to fry. We're going to celebrate tonight, but when we go back next week we know we have to play for the NCAA championship.”
The Lady Vols, 30-2, reached 30 wins for the 18th time in coach Pat Summitt's 34 years. Summitt has said all year she didn’t really have a true sense of this team. Summitt believes she has a better feel for this team after the tournament victory.
“I know the way they played in this tournament they're a team that's got a chance to win the championship. I think for a team coming off a championship, I think they had a hard time being motivated for 40 minutes game in and game out. Fortunately with the schedule we played, that made it very challenging in a lot of games.”
The Lady Tigers, 27-5, were making their fourth straight appearance in the title game. While leading 56-54, LSU’s Sylvia Fowles was fouled with remaining. Fowles only made one of two free throw attempts and the Lady Tigers would not score again.
Fowles lead LSU with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Quianna Chaney added 13.
Fowles said she'd rather have both titles if given a choice. “For the most part, I'm glad we won the regular season,” she said.
LSU guard Erica White said the only difference between the two teams was probably that Tennessee wanted it more.
"Does that bother me? You know, Tennessee won. Tennessee is the SEC champion, so hats off to them, " said White. "I look at my teammates and I look at the stats sheet, and I don't see any difference on that stats sheet too much. The only thing that I can think of, they had to have wanted it more than us. Maybe they prayed more last night, I don't know. ”
The Lady Vols were ahead early behind the play of Parker and Shannon Bobbitt. However, over the last eight minutes of the first half, the Lady Vols struggled to find the basket. LSU’s defense was solid throughout, but the Lady Vols clamped down at the most crucial moments in the game.
Despite their late first half drought, the Lady Vols led 25-22 going into the locker room at halftime.
The second half was just as closely contested as the first, with the teams swapping the lead 16 times with five ties. With leading 33-26 early in the second half, Allison Hightower hit a 3-pointer that capped a 7-0 run, tying the game at 33.
Tennessee could only muster two free throws during a five minute stretch, and the Lady Tigers took advantage going in front 39-35.
Tennessee went on a Parker-led 5-0 run to take a 40-39 lead to begin a back and forth affair the rest of the way.
Quianna Chaney scored with remaining giving LSU their final lead of the game, 54-51.
The Lady Vols answered on their next possession when Bobbitt hit a 3-pointer to tie it, and Parker nailed a jumper as the shot clock expired to put in front for good, 56-54 with remaining.
Parker, named the tournament MVP after the game, added two more free throws as was 5-of-7 at the line in the final 45.7 seconds to clinch the victory. Bobbitt had 12 for , while Nicky Anosike had a team-high 11 rebounds for the Lady Vols. out-rebounded the LSU 40-33.
They now have won six straight since the loss that Summitt called a wakeup call for a team still enjoying the national championship the Lady Vols won last spring. And it's now the sixth time the Lady Vols have finished second in the SEC in the regular season only to bounce back and win the tournament title.
The loss meant LSU coach Van Chancellor would go another year without an SEC tournament title. The Hall of Fame coach didn't win this tournament in his 19 seasons at Ole Miss.
“If Tennessee is good enough to win a national championship, we are too,” Chancellor said he told his players after the game. “We beat them at home; we had a great game here today. I don't see much difference in the two teams.”
Both teams will await their NCAA tournament seedings, locations and opponents when the women’s tournament field is announced next Sunday.
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