About the last thing Tennessee needed Saturday was Alexis Hornbuckle shooting 2-for-10 against Connecticut.

Especially on a day when Shanna Zolman goes 1-for-10.

And yet ...

And yet, anybody who was in the largest crowd ever at Thompson-Boling Arena, or anybody back in Charleston, W.Va., or Hartford, Conn., or Durham, N.C., watching Tennessee's 89-80 win on CBS would have to admit this:

That might be the best 2-for-10 game anybody ever played.

"She fills out a stat sheet,'' said an admiring UConn coach Geno Auriemma.

"Alexis Hornbuckle got more done out there than (UConn guards) Ketia Swanier, Mel Thomas and Renee Montgomery combined.''

The fact that Hornbuckle didn't fill up the bucket inspired her to fill up everything else.

Fourteen rebounds. A career high.

Nine assists. A career high.

Six of six at the free-throw line. 100 percent.

And four steals.

"It's usually easy for me to get easy buckets,'' Hornbuckle explained, "but my shot wasn't falling. So I tried to focus on the harder things.

"I'm big on defense and rebounding is a big part of defense. It's passion and hard work.''

To reiterate, 14 rebounds, 10 points, nine assists.

She was an assist away from the first triple-double in Lady Vols' history, a possibility of which she was unaware during the heat of battle in women's basketball's marquee rivalry.

"If they had told me, I probably would have had a turnover instead of an assist, trying to force the issue,'' Hornbuckle said. "Maybe in a different game.''

Shooting aside, Hornbuckle was at her best in Tennessee's biggest game.

Taking over as the team's full-time floor general in the wake of Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood's defection, Hornbuckle assumes a role of increased significance as the Lady Vols stalk their first national title since 1998.

"She's got to play more minutes, be less foul-prone, and play smart,'' said UT coach Pat Summitt.

"Which,'' noted Hornbuckle, "I think is a good thing.''

Hornbuckle was smart Saturday. Other than firing a long lob on the break toward Candace Parker that only Kobe Bryant could have elevated to catch, her floor game was exceptional.

"She's playing like a real team leader now,'' said Auriemma. "She had a reputation coming out of high school as a scorer. With all the other scorers they've got, she's become really, really good at distributing the basketball.''

She's always been pretty good at going after the basketball when other people miss shots.

Her timeliest rebound was the one with 18 seconds to play.

UConn's Ann Strother was fouled attempting a 3-point shot with UT trying to protect an 85-77 lead.

Strother hit the first two free throws. 85-79. She missed the third, and it was Hornbuckle who slashed into the lane and snatched the rebound away from all the blue shirts.

Immediately fouled, she walked to the other end and swished both tries. 87-79. See ya' at the Final Four, Geno.

"She's one of the best rebounding guards we've had at Tennessee,'' Summitt said. "She's just relentless going to the boards.

"The thing about Alexis is she's a great competitor in big games. But she's a great competitor for us almost every time we take the court.''

A great competitor in a great game in a great rivalry.

"She had the kind of game Sue (Bird) and Diana (Taurasi) had when they used to come down here,'' said Auriemma, invoking two of the holy names in UConn basketball.

"When you get a guard playing like that, it's awful hard to lose.''

Even on a day when you can't throw it in the ocean.