By LUKE DEROUEN

Sports Writer

The third-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols proved to be too much for Tech as they defeated the No. 10 Techsters 85-65 Sunday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn. for their fourth straight victory in the 36-game series.

The storied rivalry featured the only two teams in women's college basketball with more than 700 wins.

After falling back 12-2 in the opening minutes of the game, the Techsters outscored Tennessee 24-8 over the next ten minutes to take the lead 26-20.

The charge was led by junior guard Lakiste Barkus, who scored 10 points during the comeback.

"It would have been very easy for us to fall apart in the first few minutes of the game, but give our kids credit," Tech head coach Kurt Budke said. "That was an impressive 10 minutes of basketball we played during the comeback."

Using their overpowering size, accompanied by multiple key 3-pointers, the Lady Vols quickly fought back to a 45-37 halftime lead.

"We felt pretty good about where we stood at the half," Budke said. "Our kids didn't back down and played toe to toe with them for the first 20 minutes. We are definitely a better basketball team at this point of the season than we were at the same point last year."

The second half began slowly until two Loree Moore layups and a Shanna Zolman 3-pointer began a 14-5 run for the Lady Vols.

Losing guard Tasha Crain, along with shooting 23 percent as a team in the second half, did not aid Tech's answering of the Tennessee attack.

Crain left the game with a mild concussion after running into a pick set by the Lady Vols.

With 1:05 remaining in the game, the crowd was silenced by another Tech injury as guard Aarica Ray-Boyd lay motionless on the court.

Ray-Boyd took an inadvertent elbow from Tennessee's Dominique Redding while trying to block her shot.

The blow left Ray-Boyd unconscious for 45 seconds. Once she regained consciousness, she was taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center where she was diagnosed with a mild concussion.

The final minute of the game was played with no shots attempted as the Techsters fell to the Lady Vols.

Amisha Carter led the Techsters with 17 points, while Trina Frierson added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double.

Sunday's loss is the lone blemish on the Techsters record which is currently 3-1.

The Techsters pounded Tulane 96-37 in front of 3,277 fans in their home opener on Dec. 2.

Amber Obaze led the Techsters with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Obaze's effort was accompanied by Carter's 15 points and 14 rebounds and Frierson's 16 points.

Tech led 54-16 at halftime and did not let up in the second half.

The Green Wave committed 30 turnovers in the contest and shot a meager 26 percent from the field, giving the Techsters more than they needed for the victory.

"This was our first game of the season at home," Obaze said. "We wanted to let everyone know we are still here. Everyone played well tonight."

The Techsters earned an important road win against Big Ten opponent Illinois on Nov. 24.

The Techsters only led by two at the half but established a solid 42-34 lead early in the second half.

The Fighting Illini erased the deficit following a rare shooting drought by the Techsters.

Tech failed to record a field goal in the final 7:49 seconds of the game, allowing Illinois within two with less than two minutes remaining.

Barkus quieted the Illinois rally with three free throws in the final 20 seconds of the contest, giving the Techsters a 64-61 victory.

Erica Smith-Taylor was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week for her effort against Illinois.

She had 14 points, six rebounds, six steals and three assists in the victory.

The Techsters began the season with a convincing 109-60 win over Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 21.

Five Techsters recorded double figures, led by Amisha Carter with a career-high 22.

The Techsters continue play tonight against Southern at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.