Beard's 22 points lead Duke to easy win

Updated: Nov 24, 2002, 10:56 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Duke's first week at No. 1 was a rousing

success.

No. 1 vs. No. 2

Games between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in The Associated

Press women's college basketball poll. The No. 1 team has won 21 of

36 meetings:

1979 -- No. 1 Old Dominion 75, No. 2 La. Tech 65.


1980 -- No. 1 Old Dominion 75, No. 2 Texas 45


1980 -- No. 1 Old Dominion 68, No. 2 Tennessee, 53


1981 -- No. 1 La. Tech 81, No. 2 Old Dominion 47


1981 -- No. 1 La. Tech 79, No. 2 Tennessee 59


1981 -- No. 1 La. Tech 68, No. 2 Old Dominion 51


1982 -- No. 1 La. Tech 76, No. 2 Cheyney 62


1982 -- No. 1 Southern Cal 64, No. 2 La. Tech 58


1983 -- No. 2 La. Tech 58, No. 1 Southern Cal 56


1983 -- No. 2 Southern Cal 69, No. 1 La. Tech 67


1984 -- No. 2 La. Tech 75, No. 1 Southern Cal 66


1984 -- No. 2 La. Tech 85, No. 1 Texas 60


1985 -- No. 1 Old Dominion 84, No. 2 Long Beach State 71


1986 -- No. 2 Texas 88, No. 1 Tennessee 74


1987 -- No. 2 Texas 97, No. 1 Tennessee 78


1988 -- No. 1 Tennessee 88, No. 2 Long Beach State 74


1989 -- No. 2 Tennessee 66, No. 1 Auburn 61


1989 -- No. 1 Tennessee 76, No. 2 Auburn 60


1989 -- No. 2 La. Tech 59, No. 1 Tennessee 58


1992 -- No. 2 Virginia 75, No. 1 Maryland 74


1992 -- No. 2 Tennessee 74, No. 1 Stanford 73, OT


1992 -- No. 1 Tennessee 84, No. 2 Stanford 79


1993 -- No. 2 Tennessee 73, No. 1 Vanderbilt 68


1994 -- No. 1 Tennessee 105, No. 2 Stanford 69


1995 -- No. 2 Connecticut 77, No. 1 Tennessee 66


1996 -- No. 1 Stanford 74, No. 2 Alabama 65


1997 -- No. 1 Tennessee 75, No. 2 La. Tech 61


1999 -- No. 2 Tennessee 92, No. 1 Connecticut 81


2000 -- No. 1 Connecticut 74, No. 2 Tennessee 67


2000 -- No. 1 Connecticut 71, No. 2 Tennessee 52


2000 -- No. 1 Connecticut 81, No. 2 Tennessee 76


2001 -- No. 2 Connecticut 78, No 1. Notre Dame 76


2001 -- No. 2 Notre Dame 90, No. 1 Connecticut 75


2002 -- No. 1 Connecticut 86, No. 2 Tennessee 72


2002 -- No. 1 Connecticut 82, No. 2 Oklahoma 70


2002 -- No. 1 Duke 76, No. 2 Tennessee 55

-- Associated Press

Alana Beard had 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five

steals to power the top-ranked Blue Devils over No. 2 Tennessee

76-55 Sunday in the inaugural women's Jimmy V Classic.

It was the 35th meeting of No. 1 vs. No. 2 in women's college

basketball. Tennessee, with six national titles, has been involved

in 19 such matchups and dropped to 4-6 when ranked second.

"This was a great opportunity for us to show the nation that we

were here to play,'' said Duke coach Gail Goestenkors, whose team

won its opener over East Carolina by 62 points Friday. "This

hopefully proves to people that not only were we here to play, but

we're here to stay.''

Iciss Tillis added 17 points for Duke, on 7-for-10 shooting.

"Going into the game we had a lot of doubters,'' Tillis said.

"There were a lot of people who believed that we did not deserve

to be No. 1. Knowing that gave us a lot of motivation. We wanted to

go out and prove it.''

Tennessee (1-1) turned the ball over 23 times and shot 21

percent in the second half, shooting just 6-for-29. Gwen Jackson

led the Lady Vols with 12 points.

"We're extremely disappointed and embarrassed by our lack of

competitiveness,'' Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "It was

glaring.

"The one thing you learn about a basketball team right off is

what happens when things are not going well,'' Summitt added. "Our

turning the basketball over was atrocious at times. All I can tell

you is Duke deserves to be the No. 1 ranked team in the country and

Tennessee obviously doesn't look to be second-best. We have an

awful lot to learn.''

Tennessee hasn't had much luck recently in big games against the

Blue Devils in North Carolina. Duke (2-0) broke Tennessee's string

of three straight NCAA championships with a 69-63 win in the East

Regional title game in 1999 at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Blue Devils took the first double-digit lead of the game at

44-32 four minutes into the second half. Tennessee started 0-for-7

from the field with three turnovers.

"They were able to take away our first option and we weren't

able to go to our second, third or fourth options,'' said Tennessee

point guard Kara Lawson. "Credit their defense for affecting us.''

Beard had a follow shot and a free throw during Duke's 8-1 run

to start the period.

Moments later Beard fed Tillis for a layup, and Tillis sank a

3-pointer for a 17-point lead with 13:54 left as Summitt called

timeout to try to calm her reeling club.

Duke freshman Jessica Foley gave the Blue Devils a 20-point lead

less than two minutes later with a 3-pointer from the wing.

Tennessee never got closer than 15 the rest of the way.

"I thought we played a great second half of basketball,''

Goestenkors said.

Summitt didn't disagree.

"They went after us and they went after this game,'' Summitt

said.

Duke fell behind by five early on, but Beard keyed an 11-2 run

with a bank shot and a pair of layups in a first half in which the

All-American guard was a factor on both ends of the court.

The Lady Vols -- who had 15 turnovers in their season-opening

26-point win over No. 22 Oklahoma -- gave the ball up 12 times in

the opening 20 minutes. Beard had four steals in the half.

"Coming into this game we wanted to be up in their face,''

Beard said. "We wanted to extend their offense and that's what we

did. We put a lot of pressure on their guards.''