A defensive opener for Lady Vols

Alexis Hornbuckle recalled the moment as one of good fortune.

Tennessee's senior guard deflected the basketball in front of Chattanooga's bench and tipped it to herself.

"I got lucky,'' she said. "I got a steal."

What was good for Hornbuckle was good for Tennessee and bad for Chattanooga. The play sprang Hornbuckle loose for a transition layup. It also ignited a turn of events that helped free up the Lady Vols for a 76-56 season-opening women's victory Sunday afternoon.

Lady Mocs guard Laura Hall remembered Hornbuckle's moment. She recited the events of the ensuing eight seconds as if they were committed to memory, too.

"That's what they do,'' Hall said. "Get a layup. Get in the press. Get another steal. Get a three. That's what happened."

A four-point lead ballooned to 46-37 after Shannon Bobbitt followed Hornbuckle with a steal and Angie Bjorklund swished a trey. A timeout stopped the action but not the course of events. Another Bobbitt steal followed and another layup with 15:13 left.

It took less than one minute of playing time to begin undoing the previous 24 minutes, which was of great relief to top-ranked Tennessee and an announced crowd of 13,811 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

In the process, UT's Candace Parker overcame a slow shooting start to score a game-high 23 points. Vicki Baugh was Tennessee's other double-figure scorer with 11.

Parker tied Bobbitt for the team high in steals with five. For both players, the total matched their career single-game highs. Of Chattanooga's 32 turnovers, 21 were Tennessee steals.

Center Nicky Anosike had a game-high 10 rebounds and played a big role in holding Chattanooga star Alex Anderson to eight points and 3-for-12 field-goal shooting.

Hall led Chattanooga's scoring with 15 points. Reserve forward Shanara Hollinquest had 13. The Lady Mocs hit eight 3-pointers.

There was good cheer afterward with the Tennessee players talking about giving Hornbuckle's mother, Quandora, a standing ovation in the locker room after her stirring rendition of the national anthem. Parker joked with her teammate by asking: "Alexis what happened? Why can't you sing?"

Between the pregame clapping and the postgame teasing, there was a good amount of hard work. Chattanooga (1-1) required more from the hosts than its past two visits, which Tennessee won by an average of 36 points and led by an average of 25.5 at halftime.

This time, the Lady Vols' lead was a scant 32-28 at the break.

"Overall it was a good half,'' Chattanooga coach Wes Moore said. "Definitely I'd take that any day."

The Lady Mocs covered for deficiencies in size and athleticism by holding their ground as defenders around the basket and by being aggressive offensively.

It also helped that the Lady Vols - Parker and Bobbitt in particular - weren't making shots. Parker was 3-for-10 at halftime while Bobbitt was 0-4.

"It was tough, Parker said. "Sometimes you're going to have a lid on the basket. Nicky Anosike told me to keep doing what I'm doing and I think that helped out."

Bobbitt's second-half play, which included four of her steals, spoke for her perseverance.

"Shannon Bobbitt couldn't make a shot,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said. "It was good to see her play through a little adversity."

Leave it to Summitt to make 40 percent field-goal accuracy at the break (14-for-35) sound much worse in her halftime pep talk. Hornbuckle said the Lady Vols' shooting was the coach's cue for the pivotal show of defensive aggression.

"I think that generated easy points,'' Summitt said of the defensive pressure. "I think it took a little pressure off them."

Tennessee's shooting improving to 52.8 percent (19-for-36) in the final 20 minutes. Parker was 6-for-8 in scoring 15 of her points, including three treys.

Hornbuckle wasn't so sure that the Lady Vols benefitted from better shots. She credited renewed vigor.

"The defensive stops gave us a different kind of energy on the court,'' she said. "When you play off energy and adrenaline, it shows."

Tennessee, which led by as many as 23 points, managed the faster second-half pace better than Chattanooga. The Lady Vols committed half as many turnovers (nine versus Chattanooga's 18) and unleashed Baugh for nine of her points.

The freshman forward was ripping down rebounds and racing up the court with the basketball, making driving shots and zipping crosscourt passes. It took awhile but, like her team, she was off and running.

"There's such a great upside to her game,'' Summitt said, "because you never have to coach effort with her."

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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