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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

No. 3 Tennessee beats Florida

Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

Candace Parker scored 26 points and No. 3 Tennessee beat Florida 92-61 Friday at Nashville, Tenn., to reach the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament.

The second-seeded Lady Volunteers (28-2) haven’t lost a quarterfinal game since 1993. They will play No. 21 Vanderbilt or Auburn in the next round.

Florida (18-13) made its third consecutive trip to the quarterfinals, but hasn’t advanced any further since 1997. The Gators have lost 15 straight games to ranked opponents.

Shannon Bobbitt scored 22 points for Tennessee, and Alexis Hornbuckle added 16.

Sha Brooks led Florida with 20 points, and Depree Bowden finished with 15.

The Lady Vols served as the home team for the game both on the scoreboard and in the stands. A majority of the SEC tournament session-record 9,938 fans donned Tennessee orange.

Florida kept close early in the game, even grabbing a one-point lead on a layup by Brooks five minutes into the game.

Brooks, who sank a career high seven 3-pointers in the Gators’ regular-season loss at Tennessee, nailed 3 of 6 attempts.

The Lady Vols broke away with a 12-1 run, and free throws by Bobbitt put Tennessee up 44-27 with 3:37 left before halftime.

Angie Bjorklund (University HS) scored only three points but led the Vols with seven assists.

•Tennessee coach Pat Summitt didn’t look too uncomfortable, jumping up and down on the sideline.

Not bad for someone who dislocated a shoulder in an encounter with a raccoon.

Summitt had taken her golden Labrador out for a walk Wednesday night when they came back to find the raccoon on the deck at her home.

“I momentarily lost it,” Summitt told WBIR-TV in Knoxville. “The raccoon was about to attack. I just knocked it off the deck, and fortunately nothing happened but a dislocated shoulder, and it’s back in place.”

(2) North Carolina 97, Clemson 77: At Greensboro, N.C., Erlana Larkins scored 25 points and LaToya Pringle added 16 to help the Tar Heels (28-2) beat the Tigers (12-19) in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

(5) Maryland 93, Boston College 81: At Greensboro, N.C., Laura Harper scored 15 of her 25 points after halftime to help the Terrapins (30-2) beat the Eagles (20-11) in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

(7) LSU 80, Mississippi 36: At Nashville, Tenn., Quianna Chaney scored 17 points and the Lady Tigers (26-4) beat the Lady Rebels (13-16) to reach the Southeastern Conference semifinals for the seventh straight year.

Men

(20) Drake 68, Indiana State 46: At St. Louis, Adam Emmenecker had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double and the Bulldogs (26-4) beat the Sycamores (15-16) in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.