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Florida Rallies Past Tennessee

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By MIKE DiFERDINANDO

Tribune correspondent

Published: February 9, 2009

GAINESVILLE - Pat Summitt came to the O'Connell Center with 1,000 career wins as the head coach of the Tennessee women's basketball team.

She walked off the court Sunday with her 188th loss.

Sha Brooks scored a game-high 29 points and No. 11 Florida (22-2, 8-1 SEC) beat No. 12 Tennessee (17-6, 6-3) 66-57.

It's the third time in the past 40 meetings that Florida has beaten Tennessee, and the first home win against the Volunteers in 12 years.

"It's a huge, huge confidence builder for our team and a great day for our program," Florida coach Amanda Butler said.

The Gators, whose last home win against the Volunteers came on Jan. 21, 1997, trailed by two points going into halftime but ended the game with a 23-7 run.

The 8,060 fans, the second-largest home attendance for a women's game, rose to their feet and cheered as Butler shook Summitt's hand following the final buzzer.

"My gosh, I grew up in Tennessee. I went to Pat Summitt basketball camp when I was 15," Butler said.

With its seventh straight victory, Florida set a school record for consecutive conference wins, and did so while holding Tennessee to its smallest points total against the Gators.

Tennessee held a 50-43 lead with a little more than seven minutes to play before Brooks and the Gators went on a tear that saw the Volunteers' lead disappear with a little more than two minutes left.

Brooks scored 12 straight points for Florida down the stretch, and the Gators were also boosted by their ability to get to the foul line, going 20-for-29 for the game. Tennessee finished only 2-for-8.

"Right now, I'm trying to figure out how we can get to the free-throw line," Summitt said. "That to me is kind of a mystery. We're 2-for-8 and they're 20-for-29. That's obviously the big difference in the game."

TENNESSEE (17-6, 6-3) - Fuller 3-8 0-1 6, Bjorklund 6-20 0-0 16, Johnson 3-8 0-1 6, Manning 0-1 0-0 0, Stricklen 3-13 1-2 7, Bass 1-6 1-2 4, Brewer 3-5 0-2 6, Cain 6-7 0-0 12. Totals 25-68 2-8 57.

FLORIDA (22-2, 8-1) - Smith 1-3 0-0 3, Dotson 2-6 6-6 10, Brooks 8-19 10-18 29, Sorensen 3-8 0-0 8, Yenser 1-5 0-1 2, Thompson 1-5 2-2 4, Stewart 1-1 0-0 2, Lucas 1-3 2-2 4, Henry 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 20-54 20-29 66.

Halftime-Tennessee 29-27. 3-Point Goals-Tennessee 5-22 (Bjorklund 4-12, Bass 1-6, Fuller 0-1, Stricklen 0-3), Florida 6-18 (Brooks 3-5, Sorensen 2-7, Smith 1-2, Thompson 0-2, Yenser 0-2). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Tennessee 49 (Stricklen 12), Florida 36 (Brooks 7). Assists-Tennessee 11 (Bass, Fuller 3), Florida 7 (Brooks, Smith, Sorensen 2). Total Fouls-Tennessee 20, Florida 13. A-8,060.

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