Lady Vols Top Ole Miss, Roll To Final Four

To beat Tennessee, Mississippi needed to play a near perfect game. Instead, Candace Parker and the Lady Vols did.

With Parker dominating at both ends and the talented Lady Vols getting contributions from almost everybody else on the roster, they rolled over the Rebels and into their 17th Final Four 98–62 last night.

By winning the Dayton Regional, top-seeded Tennessee (32–3) moves on to play either Purdue or North Carolina in the national semifinals in Cleveland on Sunday. LSU (30–7) and Rutgers (26–8) meet in the other game.

Parker scored 24 points and had 14 rebounds, but she dictated the game in many ways. She hit 10 of 14 shots from the field and also had three assists, three steals, and five blocked shots in a virtual highlight film of a game. Parker, one of the most acclaimed players in the country, was at her very best.

The Lady Vols shot 52% from the field and hit 8-of-11 3-pointers while limiting Ole Miss to just 32% shooting from the field. The Rebels were just 3 of 20 behind the arc.