Sarah Lowe vividly remembers her first trip to Thompson-Boling Arena three years ago as a freshman. It's not a pleasant memory.

"I was like a deer in the headlights," said Florida's senior point guard.

Three years later, she was unshakeable in the spotlight that so often blinds Tennessee opponents. So was her team.

"Teams come in here and see 'Tennessee' on the jersey and they fold," Lowe said. "And the game is over before it even starts."

Sunday's game wasn't over until overtime. Florida rebounded from dreadful early shooting, shrugged off a game-tying 3-pointer by UT's Shanna Zolman near the end of regulation and finally prevailed in overtime 95-93 before a crowd of 17,595.

The Gators didn't just upset the nation's No. 5 team. They made history. They're the first unranked team to beat the Lady Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena.

But they're not the first team this season to remind you of UT's shortcomings.

You have heard it all before from UT coach Pat Summitt. Her team isn't sufficiently committed to defense. It doesn't protect the ball well enough. Its reserves are unreliable.

There was nothing new on those fronts Sunday. Florida made 57.1 percent of its shots in the overtime; UT blundered its way to 28 turnovers overall; and the Lady Vols' four reserves totaled four points, six rebounds, five turnovers and seven fouls in 46 minutes.

The Lady Vols have overcome such deficiencies against lesser teams. And in the first few minutes, the Gators looked like a lesser team.

I was ready to write them off after they missed 12 of their first 13 shots. I counted them out again when three of their starters got into foul trouble. And I knew they were done for sure when UT forced overtime after rallying from 11 points down.

And I was wrong, wrong, wrong.

The Gators might not be a top-25 team, but they rank high in resiliency.

They lost to Georgia by 37 points, then won three consecutive games. They lost to South Carolina by 18, then beat second-ranked LSU in overtime their next game. They lost to Auburn by 15 in their last game.

How do you explain a team that was bad enough to lose three games by 70 points and good enough to beat two top-five teams in the same four-week period?

"If I can explain that in anyway, it's a testament to playing in the SEC," Lowe said. "If you come out flat, you will lose to a team like South Carolina or Auburn, or to Georgia by 30.

"Tonight, we had all the motivation in the world."

So did the Lady Vols. "Win out" has been their rallying cry since losing starting point guard Alexis Hornbuckle to a season-ending injury. They won a tough game at Georgia, then defeated Alabama and Auburn by a combined 42 points.

Florida not only stole their momentum, it landed a blow to their hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Gators also reminded everyone that although UT is a good, talented team; it's not scary good.

Seeing "Tennessee" on a jersey no longer produces the same fear factor --not when you see how shaky the Lady Vols are defensively and handling the ball.

Florida didn't believe it could out-talent the Lady Vols. It believed it could outplay them.

"We don't have a McDonald's All-American," Lowe said. "We don't have all the hype. But at the same time, you know every time we step on the floor, you'll get 100 percent from everyone of us."

You couldn't prove that by how Florida played against Georgia, South Carolina and Auburn. But you couldn't argue with the Gators' effort against UT.

"The tougher team won tonight," Lowe said. "I feel 100 percent confident in saying that."

No one was tougher than Lowe, who played all 45 minutes and seemed energized enough afterwards to play another 45. She had 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals.

UT post players Candace Parker and Tye'sha Fluker combined for 56 points and 31 rebounds. Zolman had 22 points and 10 assists.

But for a team struggling to replace its injured point guard, those numbers weren't as eye-catching as another entry in Lowe's stat line: 0 turnovers in 45 minutes.