BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Second-ranked LSU allowed the fewest points in its history, and Kisha James and Ayisha Smith scored 11 points apiece Saturday night in a 61-19 victory over Alabama State.

LSU (5-0) is off to its best start since 1996-97, when the Lady Tigers started 14-0 en route to a 25-5 season and a final 16 appearance. The previous low for an LSU opponent was a 68-26 victory over Prairie View on Dec. 22, 2001.

Alabama State (1-5) shot just 7-of-53 (13.2 percent), and the seven field goals by the Hornets are also a low for an LSU opponent. The previous mark was nine baskets by Nicholls State in 1994.

LSU forced Alabama State into 22 turnovers, including five shot-clock violations.

LSU got off to a sluggish start after Smith scored the game's first points on a layup just eight seconds in. The 2-0 score held until Alabama State scored on a 15-foot jumper by Shameka Jackson to tie the game at 2 with 14:57 left in the first half.

LSU then went on an 8-0 run, using two 3-pointers by reserve Roneeka Hodges and another layup by Smith.

Alabama State had as many shot clock violations - four - as made field goals while shooting 17.4 percent in the first half. LSU outscored Alabama State 13-2 over the final 6:06 of the first half, with back-to-back baskets by KeKe Tardy giving the Lady Tigers a 25-10 halftime lead.

Tardy finished with 10 points. LSU coach Sue Gunter substituted liberally in the second half. All 13 players who dressed out saw action, with nine of them scoring.

The Lady Tigers kept the momentum by draining three jumpers in the first 2:08 of the second half, with the third by Seimone Augustus giving LSU a 31-10 lead.

LSU then went on a 20-0 run in which its held Alabama State scoreless for nearly eight minutes, extending the lead to 56-15 with 5:43 remaining.

Auburn 73, Furman 35

AUBURN -- The Auburn women's basketball team improved its record to 6-0, by defeating Furman 73-35 Saturday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Marita Payne finished with a career high 12 points to go along with seven boards and five blocked shots.

"We are starting to click as a team," said Payne. "I worked out hard last spring to get ready for this season and I really think it has helped me get ready for this year."

The Tigers shot 52 percent from the field in the first-half and jumped out to a 40-13 lead at halftime. Auburn never looked back, leading by as many as 40 points in the second half before settling on the 73-35 final score.

"I thought we played really well today," said Auburn head coach Joe Ciampi. "Defensively we broke down their tempo in the first half. We blocked shots and got into their passing lanes to shut them down."

Natasha Brackett led all scorers with 13 points, while Nancy Derrick was also in double-figures for Auburn, finishing with a season-high 10 points. As a team, the Tigers shot an impressive 80 percent (20-25) from the charity stripe, and out-rebounded the Lady Paladins by 15 boards (57-42).

"It is all about attitude and doing the little things. We are learning to get in there and get the boards," said Ciampi. "We just need to stay aggressive on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball."

Furman was led by Kim Lawrence and Deshara Shealey, who both finished with 10 points. The Lady Paladins struggled offensively against a stingy Auburn defense, shooting only 18 percent from the field for the game.

Next up for Auburn is North Carolina A&T on December 14, which will be the first part of a double-header with the Auburn men. Tip-off for the women is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, while the men will follow against Rutgers at 3:00 p.m.

Purdue 73, Vanderbilt 66

MEL REISNER
AP Sports Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Erika Valek scored a career-high 23 points, and No. 6 Purdue shut down Chantelle Anderson in the second half to earn a 73-66 victory over No. 8 Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Shereka Wright had 14 points and Mary Jo Noon scored 10 for the Boilermakers (6-0), who are off to their best start since the 1992-93 team won its first eight.

Jenni Benningfield had 15 points and nine rebounds for Vanderbilt (4-1).

Anderson, who was 5-of-6 for 10 points in the first half, missed all five shots in the second half and finished with 13. Abi Ramsey had 11 points and Ashley McElhiney had 10 points and 12 assists.

McElhiney scored all of her points in the second half, making two 3-pointers in a 50-second span late in the game. Each cut Vanderbilt's deficit to five points.

But Wright responded to the first with a three-point play with 4:00 left, opening a 58-50 lead, and Valek made two free throws after McElhiney's second long shot, sending Purdue to a 60-53 lead with 2:44 to go.

In the final 1:15, Valek had a fast-break layup and four free throws to hold off Vanderbilt.

The Boilermakers had a 9-4 lead early on, but Vanderbilt rallied and led until late in the first half.

In the final 2:33 of the half, the lead changed hands three times - the last time on a layup by Purdue's Lindsey Hicks with 10 seconds remaining.

Benningfield gave Vanderbilt its last lead at 26-25 with a layup 1:03 into the second half, but Beth Jones made a 3-pointer for Purdue 15 seconds later.

It started an 18-7 run in which Valek scored six points, capping the rally with a pullup jumper for a 43-33 Purdue lead with 9:42 left in the game.

N.C. State 81, Florida 77

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The University of Florida women's basketball team's 81-77 loss to N.C. State on Saturday in the consolation game of the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational could be extremely costly. UF's All-American center Vanessa Hayden left the game with 18:34 remaining after suffering an injury to her left ankle.

Hayden had been the Gator's leading scorer in the game with 12 points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of work at the time of her injury and helped Florida (5-3) build a 38-29 lead. The momentum clearly shifted in N.C. State's favor at that point.

"I think it energized and gave N.C. State hope," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "But I don't think it effected our effort. N.C. State played a phenomenal game tonight and Kaayla Chones is a phenomenal player. Once we lost our phenomenal player (Hayden), we just couldn't find an answer for Chones."

Chones finished with a game-high 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor, helping the Wolfpack shoot 63.0 percent in the second half and 46.4 percent during the game. NCSU shot 24-of-34 from the free throw line, making several key hits in the final minutes of the game to secure the win.

Florida freshman Bernice Mosby scored 20 of her team-high 22 points in the second half, all coming after Hayden's injury. She also added seven rebounds in 28 minutes of action. Freshman Sarah Lowe contributed 11 points with nine assists, while sophomore Tamia Williams added 11 in a losing cause for the Gators, who turned the ball over 21 times and were outrebounded 40-39. Freshman Dalia Eshe was UF's leading rebounder, grabbing 10 with eight points.

Bernice Mosby made two free throws on the Gator's ensuing possession after Hayden's departure, but N.C. State (3-4) scored the next seven points to cut the gap to four, 40-35, with just under 17 minutes remaining in the game.

The teams traded two-point baskets for the next three minutes until N.C. State's Billie McDowell knocked down a pair of three pointers to shrink UF's lead to three, 53-50, with 10:35 remaining.

Both squads again countered offensively, as UF couldn't pull away and N.C. State couldn't get any closer than three points. But with the Gators leading 61-54 with 8:40 on the clock, the Wolfpack's Amy Simpson ripped off the next six points and Amelia Labador canned a trey from the top right of the arc to give NCSU a 62-61 lead with seven minutes remaining. But Dalila Eshe hit an 8-footer as the Gators regained the lead. Mosby added one free throw, but so did the Wolfpack, before Tamia Williams hit a deep jumper to give the Gators a 66-63 lead. After another back and fourth effort, Terah James nailed a deep three-pointer to tie the score at 68-all with 4:20 left to ignite a game-clinching 11-2 run that ended with 1:25 remaining in the game and N.C. State leading 76-70. The Wolfpack made their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

Hayden's departure in the second half left the Gator's inside game leaner, as freshman Brittany Davis did not suit up for the game after suffering a knee injury during the latter part of Friday's game and sat out Saturday for precautionary measures. She, too, will be reevaluated in Gainesville.

The opening eight minutes of the game was back-and-fourth, as the teams traded baskets on virtually every possession, with the Wolfpack leading for the entire time except the opening bucket. With N.C. State leading 14-10, the Gators ripped off a 22-3 run over the next seven minutes paced by nine points from Tamia Williams which give Florida a 32-17 advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the half. Kaayla Chones scored the next four points of the game to halt a string of 17 consecutive Gators points and close out the half with a 10-2 run for the hosts, cutting UF's lead to 34-27 at intermission.

Florida will attempt to halt its two-game losing streak on Wed., Dec. 11, when the Gators travel to Orlando to play Central Florida. Tip-off of the game is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised live by Sunshine Network.

Alabama 67, Liberty 64

GREENVILLE, N.C. -– The University of Alabama women's basketball team used a quick start and solid finish to remain undefeated on the season with a 67-64 win over Liberty in the opening round of the U.S. Cellular Invitational on Saturday.

With the victory, Alabama improved to 6-0 on the year and moved into the championship game of a tournament for the second straight weekend. Liberty fell to 3-2 losing their second straight contest.

The Tide led 11-2 just four minutes into the game and held a 17-point cushion (25-8) at the 6:03 mark of the opening frame as Bama's athleticism proved too much for the Flames in their man-to-man defense.

"We did a great job of attacking the basket in the first half," said UA head coach Rick Moody. "When they went to the zone, we didn't do a very good job of taking advantage of what they were giving us. I think it was the first time all year that somebody has actually zoned us."

Liberty refused to go away closing the Tide margin to just eight points, 29-21, with a 13-4 run to close the first half.

The much bigger Flame squad, that features six players 6-2 or taller, continued to pound the ball inside eventually trimming the UA lead to just 44-42 at 10:06 in the second period. The Tide scored the next three baskets to move back in front by 7, but Liberty answered with seven points of their own to knot the score at 50 with 6:58 remaining.

The two squads settled into a defensive battle over the next several minutes with neither team able to grab the momentum. With 4:03 left, Manisha Redus drained a three-pointer to put Bama up by one, 58-57. Shun Hunter made four consecutive free throws followed by a Vice trey at 1:57 to put Alabama up 65-59.

The Flames made a final charge pulling to within one with under a minute to play but LU's Katie Feenstra missed a pair of free throws with 22 ticks left and Beth Vice made a pair for UA 10 seconds later giving the Tide their final margin of victory. Hunter and Redus paired together to force a Flame turnover on Liberty's final possession.

Four the Tide's five starters finished in double figures led by Katie Sipe with 13 points. Monique Bivins scored 12 followed by Redus with 11 and Hunter 10. For the second straight game, UA finished with more assists (20) than turnovers (16).

The Tide shot 44.4 percent from the floor and made 11 three-pointers in the contest. Despite a distinct height disadvantage, the Tide only lost the rebounding battle by just two, 35-33. Liberty's Stephanie Walker led all scorers with 15 in the loss.

Alabama concludes action at the U.S. Cellular at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday. The Crimson Tide meets host East Carolina for the tournament title.

W. Kentucky 88, Kentucky 83

Lexington, KY -- Rita Adams scored a career-high 29 points and Bowling Green native SeSe Helm recorded her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to send the Kentucky women's basketball team past visiting Western Kentucky as it fell, 88-83, at Memorial Coliseum Saturday night.

The teams traded leads to start the game before Western's Kristina Covington drilled the first of her four three-pointers to give the Lady Toppers a 7-5 edge and a lead they would not relinquish.

Owning the hot hand, Adams carried the Cats on her shoulders in the first half. The senior point guard, who entered the contest second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points a game, owned all four UK baskets at the 12-minute media timeout as the Cats trailed 16-9.

Kentucky (2-3) fell behind by eight, the largest of the half at 19-11, when Covington buried another trey with 10 minutes to play before intermission. The Cats then turned up the heat and went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by Keiko Tate's 15-footer, to slice WKU's edge to 19-17.

The Lady Toppers (3-1) clung to a two-point edge for the majority of the first half as the teams went back-and-fourth trading baskets. Jenny Pfeiffer hit a pair of free throws at 4:12 to make the score 29-27, but Western came back with a six-point lead, 36-30, late in the half. UK pressured and showed aggressiveness on the offensive end toward the end of the period. After Helm hit on four-straight free throws, Adams buried a three-pointer at the top of the key to bring the Cats to within two, 40-38, to send the teams to the lockerrooms.

"I hate to lose as much as anyone, but we have to take a look at all the positive things that came out of this game for us," UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. "We played a solid game and I can see that we are starting to come into our own as a basketball team. Tonight gives our team the confidence that we can play with anyone when we put two halves together."

In the second stanza, Sara Potts, who entered the game as the Cats' leading scorer with 17.3 points per game, put the Cats to within three at 46-43 when she drilled her first three-pointer of the night with 18 minutes to go. Helm nailed two more free-throws to cut the margin to one at 46-45, but Logsdon sank her third trifecta of the game to claim a four-point lead.

Logsdon wasn't finished firing from long range, launching a 20-foot jumper behind the arc that gave WKU a six-point cushion, 54-48, with 15 minutes left. Adams answered with a three of her own to cut the lead to 54-51 before the Lady Toppers regained control.

A driving layup by Tiffany Porter-Talbert resulted in a three-point play at 11:56 when she was fouled. The freshman's free throw upped the Hilltoppers' lead to 65-57, but Adams proved resilient once again and chalked up her third three-pointer to cut it to 65-60.

"I can't say enough about the play of Rita Adams," Mattox said. "Rita has been solid all year long. She's really matured as a basketball player and become a leader. We've moved her around into a few different positions, but she's stepped up to the challenge and done everything we've asked her to do. We moved her back over to the point guard tonight and I think we'll stick with her there for the time being. She gave a fantastic effort tonight."

Lineberry connected on two from the charity stripe after being fouled by Shambrica Jones to send the junior to the bench with five fouls as 5:30 showed on the clock. However, the Cats put a run together without their starting forward with Adams leading the attack. Adams added a bucket and free throw to slice the lead to 77-74, and a Jennifer Humphrey layup cut it to one at 77-76 with three minutes to go in the game.

Adams, who also dished out eight assists in the game, again worked her magic and drove the lane uncontested to pull UK within one, 79-78, with 2:20 on the clock. However, WKU went back to its bread-and-butter and Logsdon buried a three behind the top of the key to put the Lady Toppers up 82-78 with one minute in regulation.

Western pulled away in the final minute as the Cats were forced to put the Tops on the line. Helm gave UK a breath of life with 21 seconds remaining when she knocked down her first three-pointer of the season to cut Western's lead to 86-83. Two Covington free throws ended the scoring as UK lost its third straight contest.

"It's important to keep in mind that Western Kentucky has a very good basketball team," Mattox said. "They also beat the No. 10 team in the nation, so they obviously are a talented group. I'm excited about the energy and intensity that we put together as a team for two halves."

Following Adams and Helm in the scoring column was Pfeiffer with a career-high 12 points. Potts charted eight points and a career-high eight boards while Humphrey and Jones added seven points apiece.

Western was led by Logsdon's 23 points and Covington contributed 22. UK shot 41.9 percent (31-of-74) from the field, while the Lady Toppers connected on 27-of-65 for 41.5 percent. WKU buried 9-of-20 from behind the arc to UK's 6-of-21. The Lady Toppers were outrebounded for the first time this season, 45-42.

The Wildcats still own the overall series record, 14-12, including a 9-6 mark in Lexington.

UK will next be in action on Saturday, Dec. 14 when it travels to the Hawaii Invitational to face host Hawaii at 12 a.m. ET. WLXG Sports Radio 1300 will carry the game live in Honolulu.

Arkansas 63, Rice 50

HOUSTON, Texas -- Senior India Lewis scored 22 points and was named most valuable player as the 13th-ranked Arkansas Lady Razorbacks defeated Rice, 63-50, for the championship of the Gene Hackerman Invitational at Autry Court.

Arkansas, 6-1, overcame a poor night from the field with an outstanding defensive performance.

Lady Razorback forward Shameka Christon had 12 points and nine rebounds to join Lewis on the all-tournament team.

"Defensively, this was probably our best game of the year," UA head coach Gary Blair said. "We were so dissatisfied with our press the last few games, but tonight we got back into it like we should and it worked."

Arkansas forced 23 turnovers from the Owls, 2-4, and converted them into 25 points. Rice had only eight points off Arkansas' miscues.

"We struggled a little bit offensively, but we worked hard on the defense," Lewis said.

Rice shot only 38.9% from the field, but better than Arkansas' 33.9%.

Lewis was the saving grace on offense. She was 8-of-14 from the field, scoring over a third of the Lady'Backs' field goals, and hit 50% from three-point range.

"At times I felt like my shot was there," Lewis said. "Coach called some plays for me to shoot and the team did a great job of getting me open."

Arkansas' defense set the tempo in the first half by holding Rice to one field goal over a nine minute period. The offense was unable to take full advantage, resulting in a slow-motion 14-2 run to lead by 16 points, 26-10, with 5:55 in the half.

"We made it hard on ourselves tonight with the shots we missed early," Blair said. "We controlled the tempo of the game, but they kept coming back."

Rice pulled within four, 32-28, just after halftime, but Lewis hit five straight points to push Arkansas back to a double digit lead.

The lead might have hovered around 10 points, but it was tenuous as Arkansas' post players struggled to score inside until the final moments when freshman Ruby Vaden scored back-to-back layups to ice the game, 59-47, with 1:13 left.

"Those were great closers," Lewis said. "It proved that we can go inside as well as score from the outside."

Vaden finished with 10 points to round out Arkansas' double-digit scorers.

Rice's Anne Peck came off the bench to score 10 points as the only Lady Owl in double digits.

Arkansas frustrated Rice's top scorer, center Johnetta Hayes, as the 6-4 junior went 1-of-7 from the field for only two points - way below her season average of 15.2 ppg.