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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -- Michelle Snow managed to upstage one of
the best starts to a game a team has ever had.
|  | | Tennessee's Gwen Jackson, right, rejects Iveta Marcauskaite's first-half attempt. |
Second-ranked Tennessee opened its game against No. 21 Illinois
on Saturday with a 25-3 run in which it made all nine shots it
took.
Snow capped the first half in a way most women's players have
only dreamed of -- she dunked.
Tennessee (3-0) went on to a 111-62 victory in the championship
game of the inaugural women's Maui Invitational, and its start in
which it went 9-for-9 from the field and scored on 11 of its first
12 possessions became an afterthought after Snow's breakaway dunk
with 10 seconds left made it 61-25.
The 6-foot-5 junior center stole the ball near the top of the
key, went in alone and dunked, even hanging on the rim for an extra
second or two enjoying the view after becoming the third player to dunk in the
history of women's college basketball.
"I did grab the rim because the last time they said I didn't
grab the rim so it didn't count," Snow said, referring to a near-dunk
against Texas Tech late last season. "I said the next time I do it
there would be no question."
There wasn't.
Snow joins Georgeann Wells of West Virginia, who dunked twice in
the 1984-85 season, and Charlotte Smith of North
Carolina.
Tamika Catchings, despite playing with five stitches in her
left, non-shooting hand after being cut in the opening round, had
21 points on 8-for-9 shooting for the Vols and was the
unanimous choice as tournament MVP.
She started the game by making a 3-pointer and Tennessee did not
miss its next eight shots. When Kristen Clement hit a 3-pointer
4:41 into the game, it was 25-3.
All five starters scored in the run, led by Kara Lawson's eight
points that included the other two 3-pointers that were attempted.
Illinois (2-1), which starts three freshmen and no seniors, was
1-for-7 from the field in that span and committed five turnovers.
"I'm pleased to see our team commit to play uptempo,"
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "The way our starters opened the
game made an impression on our bench to keep that standard. We got
excellent shots in that time frame and did a good job of getting
the ball inside."
The Fighting Illini went on a 7-2 run to get within 57-25. But
Ashley Robinson of Tennessee made two free throws with 1:02 left
and Snow then woke up the crowd of 1,213 at the Lahaina Civic
Center.
Playing at the top of the zone, she tipped away a crosscourt
pass and took off. She slowed as she approached the basket, went
off both feet and threw it in.
"She's had the green light for a couple of years to do it if
she got that steal in the high post," Summitt said. "She got her
first steal and her first dunk."
The Tennessee bench went wild with players either hugging,
jumping or swinging towels. The players from Alcorn State, which
lost to Clemson 66-58 in the third-place game, ran from their
bleacher baseline seats to a courtside monitor and cheered louder
every time the dunk was replayed.
"My teammates have been great with the support they've given me
and they've been hyping me up to do it," Snow said. "This is the
first season I really haven't been thinking about it. I thought if
it was time it would be time. Today was the day."
The Vols, who shot 64 percent in the first half in tying
for the fourth-most first-half points in school history, didn't let
up when the second half started, opening with a 15-6 run that made
it 76-32 with 15:11 to play.
Gwen Jackson had 25 points the Vols, while Lawson and Kyra
Elzy each had 14.
Snow, who had dunked numerous times in warmups, finished with
five points and seven rebounds as Tennessee finished with a 44-26
advantage on the boards.
Allison Curtin had 21 points for Illinois, which suffered its
worst loss since March 1, 1991, a 112-49 loss to Purdue, the worst
in school history.
"I'm proud of my team, I really am," Illinois coach Theresa
Grentz said. "We are very young and played an athletic,
experienced team and didn't quit. I saw some strong points in the
second half. There is no question this will help us."
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Illinois Clubhouse
Tennessee Clubhouse
Catchings leads No. 2 Vols past Clemson in Maui
No. 2 Tennessee suspends Randall from Maui tournament
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tennessee's Michelle Snow jams it home on the fast break. (Courtesy: Oxygen Sports)
avi: 2144 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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