Florida Has Tennessee’s Number

Tennessee’s former assistant coaches are exposing cracks in the women’s basketball power at Knoxville, Tenn.

Florida, coached by onetime Lady Vol assistant Carolyn Peck, beat Tennessee, 95-93, in overtime Sunday, tagging the fifth-ranked Lady Vols with their first home loss to unranked opponent in 22 years.

It was the first time since the women’s rankings started in 1976 that the Lady Vols have lost to more than one unranked team. Unranked Kentucky, coached by another former assistant, Mickie DeMoss, defeated Tennessee, 66-63, at Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 26.

The Lady Vols (25-4, 11-3 Southeastern Conference) had never lost to an unranked team in Thompson-Boling Arena, which opened in 1987. Unranked Cincinnati beat then-No. 12 Tennessee, 72-69, on Nov. 26, 1984, in the university’s former arena.

It was only the 16th loss for Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena. Florida recorded its first victory in Knoxville, becoming the second SEC team to win for the first time there this season. Louisiana State did it earlier this month.

Brittany Davis scored a career-high 29 points and Sha Brooks added 25 for the Gators (20-7, 8-6), who improved to 2-34 all-time against Tennessee.

In selected top 25 games:

No. 3 Louisiana State 62, Mississippi State 48 -- Seimone Augustus scored 27 points at Baton Rouge, La., to lead the Tigers (25-2, 13-1) to their second consecutive SEC title. The Bulldogs dropped to 6-21, 1-13.

No. 4 Maryland 89, Northern Colorado 53 -- Up by 21 at halftime, the Terrapins (26-3) coasted after needing less than seven minutes to double their margin in the victory over the Bears (13-15) at College Park, Md.

No. 6 Ohio State 61, Penn State 59 -- Marscilla Packer scored on a fadeaway jump shot with two seconds left as the Buckeyes (25-2, 15-1) rallied from 17 points behind to beat the Nittany Lions (12-15, 6-10) in the Big Ten game at State College, Pa.

With the score tied, 59-59, Jessica Davenport took an inbounds pass and wheeled in the lane toward the basket, but her shot bounced off the rim. Packer grabbed the rebound and scored. It was the Buckeyes’ only lead. Davenport scored 17 of her 24 points in the first half.

About three dozen people protested against Penn State Coach Rene Portland and the university during the game. Former player Jennifer Harris has filed a federal lawsuit against Portland, accusing the coach of asking her to try to look more “feminine” and of maintaining a discriminatory policy against lesbians or those who she thought were lesbians. Portland has denied the allegations.

No. 9 Oklahoma 73, Nebraska 45 -- Erin Higgins scored 17 points, Courtney Paris recorded her 21st consecutive double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and the Sooners (25-4, 15-0) routed the Cornhuskers (15-11, 7-8) in a Big 12 game at Norman, Okla.

After a 14-0 conference start in which she felt her team was nitpicking itself despite clinching its first Big 12 title since 2002, Oklahoma Coach Sherri Coale said she talked to football Coach Bob Stoops, who has had three undefeated regular seasons at Oklahoma. She said Stoops told her that “sometimes you need to stop in the middle of a winning streak and remind them how much fun it is.”

That the Sooners did, with the crowd chanting, “Big 12 Champs!” as players donned T-shirts and caps touting the league title. Oklahoma still has to play Texas Tech Wednesday in its last Big 12 regular-season game, which will also be Red Raider Coach Marsha Sharp’s last home game.

No. 12 Purdue 66, Wisconsin 63 -- Katie Gearlds scored 19 points, including a long field goal for a 63-61 lead with 1:02 left, to lift the Boilermakers (22-5, 13-3) over the Badgers (11-17, 5-11) in a Big Ten game at Madison, Wis. Wisconsin’s Jolene Anderson had a game-high 26 points.

No. 13 Georgia 74, Auburn 61 -- Tasha Humphrey scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (20-7, 10-4 SEC) over the Tigers (13-14, 4-10) at Athens, Ga.

Florida State 71, No. 17 Boston College 60 -- Holly Johnson scored nine of her 15 points during a game-turning 13-2 run midway through the second half to lift the Seminoles (19-9, 10-4) over the Eagles (19-10, 6-8) in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Tallahassee, Fla.

No. 22 Minnesota 71, Northwestern 33 -- The Gophers (19-8, 11-5 Big Ten) clinched the third seeding and a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament with the victory over the Wildcats (6-21, 2-14) at Minneapolis. The Gophers won’t play again until Friday’s late game in Indianapolis.