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Friday, Mar. 3 3:30pm ET
April helps Vols start March with a win | |||||
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BOX SCORE
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Pat Summitt reminded her No. 2 Lady Vols they would need help from the bench to win their 10th SEC tournament championship. April McDivitt heard and obeyed.
"To have April step up and get a spark ... really turned that game around," Summitt said. The Lady Vols (26-3) needed the help against seventh-seeded Florida (17-12), which has beaten Tennessee only once in 28 games. Tennessee trailed 50-49 with 16:52 left when McDivitt took over. Her jumper put Tennessee ahead to stay at 51-50 with 15:55 left in sparking a 12-2 run. Seconds later, she stole the ball, ran for a layup and hit the free throw for a three-point play. Center Michelle Snow called that play -- in which McDivitt finished sprawled under the basket -- the difference in the game. "Not only did she make the play, she drew the foul and got the fans in it," Snow said of the mostly Tennessee crowd. McDivitt capped the spurt with two 3s, the last from the top of the key for a 64-54 lead with 12:04 left. "April is a player," Florida coach Carol Ross said. "We knew she's a great shooter. Again, Tennessee's got a great bench. I say they always will. You have to be able to answer that." Florida couldn't match McDivitt as Tonya Washington, who scored 16 points in the first half, got only two in the second. "We're obviously disappointed we couldn't put together a 40-minute game," Ross said of her Lady Gators, who shot 62 percent in the first half. "Tennessee obviously picked it up a notch. Their intensity was stronger in the second half." Tamika Catchings led the Lady Vols with 23 points, Michelle Snow had 19, and Semeka Randall 15. Tennessee will face Vanderbilt in Saturday's semifinals. Vanderbilt beat LSU 59-46 on Friday night. Tennessee trailed by as much as seven in the first half and had trouble shaking Florida in the opening minutes of the second. The Lady Vols eventually built the lead to 18. Tiffany Travis' drive for a 50-49 lead was the Lady Gators' last. They now are 0-5 against Tennessee in the tournament. Tombi Bell led Florida with 24 points, Washington finished with 18, Travis had 14 and Brandi McCain 13.
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