March 2, 2003
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By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tennessee coach Pat Summitt knows her team must play better than it did at Kentucky on Sunday to make another national championship run.
Gwen Jackson scored 25 points and Shyra Ely added 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as the third-ranked Lady Vols overcame 23 turnovers to beat the Wildcats 84-69.
“We can’t play that way and attain the goals we have set,” Summitt said.
Kara Lawson scored 16 points for the Lady Vols (26-3, 14-0 Southeastern Conference), who won their 17th straight game and finished a perfect run through their league schedule for the third time in six seasons.
The Wildcats (11-15, 4-10) finished 23-of-59 from the field (39 percent) and went only 5-of-17 from 3-point range (29 percent), but Summitt wasn’t pleased with her team’s defense.
“At times, they went through it like it was water,” she said. “I don’t think our team brought the intensity they’ve played with of late, on the defensive end.”
SeSe Helm scored 25 points and Rita Adams had 18 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists in her final home game for Kentucky, which lost to the Lady Vols for the 22nd straight time.
The 6-foot-4 Helm took advantage of the absence of Tennessee center Ashley Robinson, who sat out with an illness. Helm went 10-of-17 from the field.
“I knew before the game even started that I came to play today,” Helm said.
Tennessee led from the start, but stretches of sloppy offensive execution prevented it from ever pulling away.
Danyelle Payne scored in the lane to cut Kentucky’s early deficit to 10-6, but the Wildcats had four turnovers on their next five possessions during a 7-0 Tennessee run.
SeSe Helm (53) and Shambrica Jones, left, defend the shot of Tennessee’s Gwen Jackson (13) in the first half. |
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The Lady Vols missed eight of 12 shots over the next seven minutes, committing most of their 14 first-half turnovers during that span.
“Sometimes, the ball looked like a hot potato,” Summitt said. “When we executed offensively, we got some great looks. We just had some impatient players today.”
Adams swished a 3-pointer with 5:23 left in the first half, then made a steal and went in for a layup a minute later to tie the game at 23.
The Lady Vols closed the half with an 11-3 run, forcing a faster pace and hitting four of their last five shots. They started the second half with a 14-6 spurt as Kentucky missed four of its first five shots after halftime.
But the Lady Vols continued to commit unforced errors, and the Wildcats gradually trimmed a 15-point deficit to four. At one point, the Lady Vols had 23 field goals and 21 turnovers.
Adams converted a three-point play with 6:28 left to finish a 9-2 spurt and draw Kentucky to 62-58.
“I really wanted that for the players,” Kentucky coach Bernadette Mattox said of her team’s comeback. “They needed to know that on every possession, it’s important to score and turn around and get a stop defensively. I was very pleased with the fight this team showed.”
Summitt was more concerned about Tennessee’s interior defense than the turnovers as the second half unfolded.
“We have to be mindful of our breakdowns the last few games,” she said. “It’s correctable. Defense is not only the effort that you give, but it’s playing smart. Yeah, it definitely concerns me.”
LaToya Davis scored inside and Ely sank two free throws over the next minute to push Tennessee’s lead to eight. The Wildcats got no closer than six the rest of the way, losing to Tennessee for the 38th time in 43 meetings.
Kentucky lost for the 10th time in 12 games.
“I don’t really believe in moral victories,” Mattox said. “We had the game within reach near the end, but Tennessee was just better down the stretch. They’re great in the clutch.”
Orange-clad Tennessee fans comprised about three-fourths of the season-high crowd of 6,308 at Memorial Coliseum.
