Parker to rescue with 34-point game against Notre Dame

Photo by Saul Young

OKLAHOMA CITY - Candace Parker steered Tennessee clear of NCAA women's basketball tournament trouble Sunday night.

Her 34 points and 13 rebounds kept the struggling Lady Vols on course to a 74-64 Midwest Regional semifinal victory over Notre Dame at the Ford Center.

The victory advanced the regional's top seed to its seventh consecutive Elite Eight appearance Tuesday when the Lady Vols will face No. 2 seed Texas A&M at 7 p.m.

The Aggies beat Duke 77-63 in Sunday's other semifinal.

Parker was a lonely figure on the stat sheet for Tennessee (33-2). The Lady Vols didn't have another double-figure scorer until guard Shannon Bobbitt got zeroed in from 3-point range. She finished with 11 points. Center Nicky Anosike added 10.

Tennessee led by as many as 16 points twice in the second half. That lead was cut in half inside the final minute before the Lady Vols wobbled to the finish.

Becca Bruszewski and Charel Allen each scored 16 points for No. 5 seed Notre Dame (25-9), which led by two points at halftime and by four early in the second half before succumbing to the Parker-led charge.

Parker shot 11-for-18 from the floor. She also had four blocks, three assists and three steals in 36 playing minutes.

"She was balling, I didn't know that," said teammate Alexis Hornbuckle, when informed of the scope of Parker's performance. "She had a great game. You can count on her every game.

"When you have player like that, you hate to get on her back and ride but that's what we had to do."

All things considered, Tennessee's start couldn't have been much worse. The Lady Vols were fortunate to fall behind by no more than eight points in the first half, let alone trail 33-31 at the break.

The trouble began with 2-for-15 field-goal shooting against the Fighting Irish's zone defense. Parker started 2-for-7 but salvaged some scoring with four free throws.

Then came the foul problems. Freshman Vicki Baugh, who had been a spark off the bench in the first two tournament games, picked up two fouls in a span of one minute, 17 seconds. Anosike, Hornbuckle and Angie Bjorklund all had two fouls by halftime as well.

Hornbuckle, who had been one of UT's best tournament players, had zero points, one shot attempt and three turnovers at halftime. She finished with eight points, four steals and four assists.

Notre Dame built its biggest lead at 22-14 by simply outworking the Lady Vols. One Fighting Irish trip down the floor was prolonged by three offensive rebounds. They kept plugging away until Bruszewski was fouled and converted two free throws for the eight-point advantage.

Tennessee eventually raised its shooting accuracy above 40 percent and rallied for a brief 30-27 lead on a Bobbitt 3-pointer. But the Lady Vols didn't have enough scoring help for Parker, who had 19 first-half points, to build much offensive momentum.

Notre Dame, which had four players with six or more first-half points, scored six of the half's final seven points.

Tennessee regained the lead at 38-37 on a 3-point play by Parker with 17:39 left. Her basket and foul shot ignited 12-point scoring run that gave UT the lead for good. The run concluded with two baskets Alberta Auguste and a pair of free throws by Bobbitt.

Later, Parker's hustle prevented a possible turnover on a long lead pass. Her lunging save led to Bjorklund's 3-pointer and a 55-42 edge.

"We need that from her, she's our go-to player," Anosike said of Parker. "That's what's expected and hopefully that's what we'll continue to get."

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TENNESSEE 74, NOTRE DAME 64

NOTRE DAME (25-9)

Gaines 1-5 0-0 2, Williamson 1-2 0-0 2, Allen 6-16 4-5 16, Schrader 5-8 3-3 13, Barlow 5-13 1-3 11, Mallory 0-2 3-4 3, Bruszewski 7-15 2-2 16, D'Amico 0-0 0-0 0, Lechlitner 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 25-63 14-19 64.

TENNESSEE (33-2)

Parker 11-18 12-17 34, Auguste 3-12 0-0 6, Anosike 4-8 2-5 10, Hornbuckle 3-8 2-3 8, Bobbitt 3-9 2-2 11, Bjorklund 2-6 0-0 5, Fuller 0-2 0-0 0, Baugh 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-65 18-27 74.

Halftime—Notre Dame 33-31. 3-Point Goals—Notre Dame 0-5 (Allen 0-1, Mallory 0-2, Barlow 0-2), Tennessee 4-13 (Bobbitt 3-7, Bjorklund 1-4, Hornbuckle 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Notre Dame 42 (Schrader 9), Tennessee 45 (Parker 13). Assists—Notre Dame 7 (Allen, Gaines 3), Tennessee 12 (Hornbuckle 4). Total Fouls—Notre Dame 20, Tennessee 18. A—10,032.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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