KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee coach Pat Summitt always emphasizes the importance of the first five minutes of the second half. The Lady Vols took their coach's message to heart against defending national champion Purdue and snapped the Boilermakers' 36-game winning streak.

Tamika Catchings had 14 points and six rebounds and No. 3 Tennessee withstood a late rally by No. 17 Purdue for a 72-66 victory Thursday night.

	Tennessee's Michelle Snow goes up for a shot over Purdue's Camille Cooper in the first half Thursday.

"In the first half we didn't play well as a team," Tennessee guard Kristen Clement said. "Coach told us about that at halftime. In the second half we pulled it together. We made them turn the ball over at crucial times and we played better offensively."

The Lady Vols (4-1) also avenged last year's loss at West Lafayette, Ind., a defeat that snapped Tennessee's 46-game winning streak.

Katie Douglas had 18 points for Purdue (4-1).

The Boilermakers, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, cut the lead to 68-63 with 46 seconds left. But the Lady Vols went 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to preserve the win.

Tennessee opened the second half with a 14-3 run that gave it a 46-27 lead. The Lady Vols used full-court pressure defense and the scoring of Catchings and Michelle Snow to take control.

"That ultimately decided the game," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said. "We didn't come out in the second half like we needed to. Basketball is a game of runs. That was a big one by Tennessee."

But Kelly Komara broke the drought for Purdue with a layup at 13:42, and Camille Cooper came alive offensively to help the Boilermakers slowly creep back into the game.

Cooper, who scored 17 points, had 15 over the final 12 minutes as Purdue closed to nine midway through the second half.

Tennessee's April McDivitt led another run that allowed the Lady Vols to take a 57-42 lead with five minutes left. But Douglas, held to six points in the first half, rallied Purdue with two 3-pointers to help her team close to five in the final minute.

"When you have guards like Douglas who can come down and knock down the 3s, you never feel safe," Summitt said.

Semeka Randall, who scored 13 points for Tennessee, went 4-for-4 from the foul line over the final minute.

The Lady Vols couldn't pull away from the Boilermakers in the first half despite maintaining an 8-point lead for most of the final six minutes.

Tennessee led 11-2 after four minutes as Catchings scored six points.

Purdue took a 12-11 lead on a short jumper by Douglas with 13:30 left. Tennessee regained the lead for good at 18-16 on McDivitt's 3-pointer midway through the half.