Candace Parker scored 19 points with six rebounds as the No. 3 Lady Vols ran over Alabama Thursday night,  85-58.

Nicky Anosike added 12 points with eight rebounds while Vicki Bough and Alex Fuller had 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Lady Vols started out strong, jumping out to a 31-10 lead with 8:42 left in the first half.  Coach Pat Summitt pulled the starters and watched the Tide go on a 17-7 run to get within 11.  The starters then came back in and got the lead back to 20, leading 49-29 at the half.

 The Lady Vols hold a 39-2 advantage in the series, winning the last 32 meetings.  Their last loss to Alabama came in 1984.

With the win the Lady Vols improve to 24-2 (11-1 SEC) to keep their hold on second place in the SEC behind LSU.  

The Crimson Tide was led by Tierney Jenkins with 12 points, the only Alabama player to reach double digit scoring.  The loss drops the last place Tide to 8-19 (1-11 SEC), putting them in danger of finishing last in the conference for the second straight year.

Parker to leave after junior year

The big story of the day however was the announcement that star player Candace Parker will forgo her senior season to join the Olympic team this summer as well as enter the WNBA draft.

"This was the most difficult decision I've ever had to make, but my family and I think this is best choice for me," said Parker, who helped lead Tennessee to its seventh national championship last season.

Parker played with the United States National Team last summer, where she helped them earn a berth in the 2008 Olympics.  She was also awarded the women's Wooden Award last season as the nation's top player.  

"I will miss Tennessee, but I am eager to take this next step in my career," Parker said.

The lady Vols' next game is February 24 against Mississippi State.