Parker, Bobbitt help Lady Vols survive

Tennessessee’s Candace Parker, left, shoots over Oklahoma’s Ashley Paris during the first half of Thursday night’s game at Tampa, Fla. Parker had 28 points and 15 rebounds in the Lady Vols’ victory.

TAMPA, Fla. - Candace Parker and Shannon Bobbitt were an unbeatable combination for Tennessee on Thursday night.

But just barely.

Parker scored 28 points and Bobbitt added a career-high 27 against Oklahoma in the ESPNU Invitational at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Parker grabbed 15 rebounds. Bobbitt dished out four assists.

And still they needed to collaborate on a key defensive stop for the top-ranked Lady Vols to pull out a 70-67 women's basketball victory before a crowd of 6,331 at the St. Pete Times Forum.

No. 9 Oklahoma erased an eight-point deficit in the final 3:53. The Sooners (0-2) took a 67-66 lead with 31 seconds left on a putback basket by Courtney Paris, who scored a team-high 19 points and had 16 rebounds.

"Courtney and Candace both lived up to their billing,'' Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said.

After all of those points by Parker and Bobbitt, two free throws by Alexis Hornbuckle were equally important, giving Tennessee (2-0) the lead for good with 26.7 seconds left.

Then came the defensive stand, which began with Parker tipping loose an entry pass for Paris and Bobbitt tying up Jenna Plumley with the possession arrow favoring UT.

"Our whole team, all five committed on defense,'' Bobbitt said.

Bobbitt was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and capped the victory with two free throws with 3.2 seconds left.

Tennessee struggled with turnovers at the outset and a rebounding deficit that eventually finished at 44-33. The Lady Vols also missed Hornbuckle, who played just nine first-half minutes after picking up two quick fouls.

The Lady Vols needed a lot from Parker to stay the shaky first half course and she delivered with 18 of her points. The All-America forward did the heavy lifting as UT turned a seven-point deficit into a 32-29 halftime advantage.

Along with making her share of pretty shots, Parker supplied a lot of hustle. There was a little too much on one occasion when she accidentally tipped in a missed Sooners free throw. But there were other more productive moments.

She raced back up the floor after being stripped by Danielle Robinson to alter the Oklahoma guard's shot, causing a miss.

Right before the break, she rushed up to steal an outlet pass and get off a shot before the buzzer, resulting in two free throws and the halftime margin.

No. 9 Oklahoma (0-2) managed to hang close despite Paris picking up three fouls and sitting for the final 4:52 of the half.

The teams traded baskets and the lead early in the second half. The Lady Vols were desperate for some scoring help for Parker. Bobbitt was the answer, scoring 22 of her points after the break.

Five of Bobbitt's six 3-pointers came in the second half. One gave UT a 50-47 lead. Another pushed the lead to 55-49.

"I just took what the defense gave me," Bobbitt said. "They definitely were crowding Candace and Candace found me.

"… I just was in a zone. I was hot."

Coale gave Bobbitt a nod of admiration.

"She made some tough threes," she said. "Some of them were really deep."

UT coach Pat Summitt returned the respect to Oklahoma and its determined effort.

"They kept the pressure on our defense," she said.

Summitt also gave her team its proper credit.

"I saw what I'd call strong character," she said. "We had to go with our veterans. Our freshmen played like freshmen."

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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