KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tamicha Jackson scored 21 points and Betty Lennox had 20 to lead No. 6 Louisiana Tech over second-ranked Tennessee 69-64 Sunday in the Women's Tip-off Classic.
For the Lady Volunteers, it was their first home court loss since a 1996 defeat by Stanford.For Louisiana Tech, whose record against the Lady Vols is now 17-15, including a loss in the 1998 NCAA title game, it was the Lady Techsters' first victory over Tennessee since 1996-97.
The Lady Techsters hung on after Tennessee rallied from 18 points down in the second half to tie it at 58 with 5:13 to play on a putback by Michelle Snow.
But Jackson and Lennox kept their team in it and ended up hitting three crucial free throws and two field goals down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Jackson and Lennox each had 12 points at halftime to put Louisiana Tech ahead 33-25.
The Lady Techsters opened the second half with a 12-2 run and pushed their lead to 45-27 with 16:46 to play.
The Lady Vols fought back behind the tenacious defense of Kyra Elzy, who missed last season with a knee injury, and a roaring home crowd of 10,142.
Following Snow's putback, Tamika Catchings hit a free throw to give the Lady Vols a 59-58 lead at 4:22.
The teams traded baskets until a jumper by Jackson with 1:05 left put the Lady Techsters up to stay at 66-64.