No. 1 Tennessee 107, Princeton 39

12/20/2005 10:03 PM

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee satisfied its toughest critic - coach Pat Summitt.

Shanna Zolman scored 23 points and Tye'sha Fluker had 15 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 1 Tennessee to a 107-39 victory over Princeton.

The win came five days after a victory over Louisiana Tech that left Summitt critical of her team's performance.

``I think they talked about some things since the Louisiana Tech game,'' she said. ``I was extremely disappointed with how we played (against Louisiana Tech), but I'm extremely proud tonight.''

Tennessee (10-0) shot 59.7 percent from the floor, hit 11-of-15 shots from 3-point range and out-rebounded Princeton 52-22.

``We came out here and just stressed playing with a lot of energy and a lot of emotion, which made the game fun for 40 minutes,'' guard Alexis Hornbuckle said.

Princeton (6-4) shot 29.3 percent from the floor, 4-of-23 from 3-point range.

Hornbuckle and Dominique Redding had 12 points each and Sidney Spencer 11 for the Lady Vols. Candace Parker led the team with 10 rebounds.

Becky Brown scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Princeton in its first game against the Lady Vols.

``Tonight our main focus was to get back to playing Tennessee basketball, with rebounding, defense and playing with a lot of energy,'' Zolman said. ``That's what we did.''

It was Princeton coach Richard Barron's return to Knoxville, where he attended high school and where his parents still live.

Tennessee's victory came a day after starting guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood announced she was leaving the team. Wiley-Gatewood, a sophomore, started eight of nine games and was the team's fourth-leading scorer.

In her absence, Fluker started her fourth game at center and Hornbuckle started at guard. Hornbuckle and Wiley-Gatewood had shared the point guard job.

Tennessee started pulling away five minutes into the game. The Lady Vols led 12-8 with 16 minutes left in the half and went on a 12-0 run. Two free throws by Fluker gave the Lady Vols a 24-8 lead with 10:46 left in the half. Their lead grew to 20 when Parker scored a fast-break layup with 6:42 to play in the half.

Fluker's two foul shots with 1:07 left in the half gave the Lady Vols a 47-17 lead.

Tennessee opened the second half with a 13-2 run. Hornbuckle's drive and layup gave the Lady Vols a 60-21 lead with 16:24 to play.

``Obviously I'm very pleased with the intensity, the enthusiasm on the bench and everyone who got on the court,'' Summitt said. ``We played well together.''