WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Pat Summitt celebrated her 100th NCAA tournament win in typical fashion: a second-round blowout.

Two days after Summitt publicly challenged her team to play harder, the Lady Vols responded with a dominant defensive effort, crisp offense and a 78-52 rout of host Purdue on Tuesday night. The win not only sent top-seeded Tennessee to its annual regional semifinal appearance, but also made Summitt the first coach in Division I basketball history – men’s or women’s – to record 100 wins in the tournament.

Tennessee (32-2) will face either Oklahoma or Notre Dame on Sunday in the Oklahoma City regional semifinals.

For a while, it looked as if the Lady Vols (32-2) might even have a special commendation for Summitt: most lopsided second-round victory. But ninth-seeded Purdue (19-15) closed the 33-point gap in the final 10 minutes and avoided the indignity of breaking Summitt’s personal record in a 41-point victory over Rutgers in 1992.

The lackluster finish sure didn’t delay the celebrations.

When Tennessee’s players stepped off the team bus, they were surrounded by the pep band playing “Rocky Top.” When Summitt finally yanked her starters for good in the final 4 minutes, Candace Parker had 24 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Alexis Hornbuckle had 14 points, five assists and eight of the Vols’ 15 steals.

It was never even close.

AP-ES-03-25-08 2125EDT