DURHAM, N.C. - Candace Parker missed 10 of her first 13 shots and committed six turnovers. But all of that was forgotten when Tennessee plotted its most decisive shot of the game Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"We knew we wanted to go inside to her," Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt said. "When Candace is in the paint, she usually gets in good position. People have a hard time defending her one-on-one in the paint."

Duke can vouch for that.

With the game tied, Alexis Hornbuckle had no problem passing the ball to Parker, who then drove past Duke center Chante Black for what proved to be the game-wining shot with 22 seconds to play. After a miss by Duke, Parker added a free throw in UT's 67-64 victory over the ninth-ranked Blue Devils.

Duke had thwarted Parker for much of the evening with an aggressive, double-teaming defense. But the defense broke down when it mattered most.

"That just happened by accident," Duke first-year coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "We were always trying to double on Parker. That was very unfortunate."

The misfortune was dropped in Black's lap. Once Parker received Hornbuckle's entry pass to the post, Black was overmatched.

And she knew it.

"I was just thinking, 'God, don't let her score,' " Black said. "But she did.

"Usually, there is a double-team coming. And it wasn't there. That's something we've got to work on, making sure we execute down to the last second."

Duke's defensive execution was superb for the most part. It forced 23 turnovers and held UT to 40 percent shooting. Parker and Hornbuckle were a combined 5-for-22 from the field.

Despite all the negative numbers, the second-ranked Lady Vols still prevailed against a top-10 team in a hostile environment.

"It says we find a way to win," Summitt said. "That's what great teams do. That's what our team has got to understand.

"We're gonna have some games we have to battle through. I like their toughness."

The tough games have been rare in UT's 18-1 start. After losing to Stanford in overtime on Dec. 22, the Lady Vols had won seven consecutive games by an average of 28.3 points prior to the Duke game. The closest game in that stretch was a 16-point victory over Vanderbilt.

Duke presented more of a challenge from the outset. With that challenge came an opportunity for UT to prove it's a better and tougher team than it was in late December.

Parker's play was evident of that. UT's junior All-American rarely looked like the game's most dominant player during the first half when she managed only three rebounds and six points while hitting two of nine shots.

But she asserted herself inside in the second half, grabbing nine rebounds and scoring 11 points. Her second-half turnaround included better defense as well.

"We challenged Candace to step up her defense," Summitt said. "Chante is a great post player, and she got a lot of touches.

"I thought the difference was when we stepped up in the second half, we did a much better job of defending their high-low action."

But with the game hanging in the balance, the burden was on Duke's defense.

"When Candace is working hard for the ball, it's hard to keep it out of her hands," Summitt said. "You would have to do that with double-teaming.

"And they didn't do that."

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.