Feb. 8, 2007
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AUBURN - Candace Parker scored 17 second-half points to lead No. 3 Tennessee (22-2, 9-0 SEC) past Auburn 72-62 Thursday night at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Auburn (17-8, 4-5 SEC) battled with the Lady Vols, cutting their second-half lead to seven with five minutes remaining but couldn't capitalize on key possessions down the stretch.
"Our effort was very good," Auburn head coach Nell Fortner said. "There is not another game we've played all year; there is not another team we've faced all year that pressures the ball like they do and denies passes like they do."
DeWanna Bonner scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Auburn in both categories, while KeKe Carrier scored 11 points and grabbed nine boards in 20 minutes of action. Parker led all scorers for Tennessee with 25.
Tennessee jumped out to an 18-point lead in the first six minutes of the second half and made it stand up despite a valiant comeback attempt from the Tigers.
Auburn cut the lead to seven with five minutes to play, but gave up seven unanswered points in the next 90 seconds and watched the game slip away. Tennessee led by 17 with 1:34 to play before Bonner scored seven points in the final 90 seconds.
Auburn trailed 32-24 at halftime after battling to within four points in the final minutes of the period. A free throw from KeKe Carrier at the 3:25 mark made the Tennessee advantage 24-20 and was the final point in a 5-0 Auburn run that quickly turned Tennessee's largest lead of the half into its smallest.
The Lady Vols responded with five unanswered of their own and eventually took an eight-point lead to the locker room.
Auburn fell behind 10-2 before ever finding its offensive rhythm. Tennessee made its first two shots and five of its first nine.
Tennessee has gotten the better of Auburn for 15 straight games, but four of the last six have been decided by 10 points or less.
Auburn will round out the Volunteer State portion of its schedule when it travels to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Vanderbilt Sunday, Feb. 11th at 2 p.m.