KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Marcus Thornton scored 29 points to lead LSU to a 79-73 win over Tennessee on Wednesday night.
LSU (16-4, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) held a 14-point lead with 12:44 left, but Tennessee scored the next 13 points to pull within one point. With 4:44 left, Josh Tabb kicked the ball out to a wide-open Wayne Chism at the top of the arc, and he knocked down a 3 to give the Vols a 69-67 lead.
Thornton followed with a layup to tie it at 69-all. The teams would again tie at 71, but Thornton was fouled by Tabb as he hit a jumper. He hit the subsequent free throw to take a 74-71 lead with 2:06 left.
The Vols (12-7 3-2) missed three shots trying to regain the lead and began fouling with 1 minute left, but the Tigers hit five final free throws.
Chism led Tennessee with 19 points, and Emmanuel Negedu added 11.
Postgame Quotes
LSU Head Coach Trent Johnson:
“Without question I think we did a really good job of keeping our poise, considering the fact that Tasmin Mitchell played the whole second half in foul trouble and as banged-up as we are. We beat a very good basketball team. This is the best win we have had all year long, no question. Poise and composure were important, especially when they made a run and it got really loud in this place.
“I was not concerned about fatigue, not at all, just from the standpoint that we have backed off in practice. Our nonconference schedule enabled us to have a lot of guys manage their minutes. We are getting contributions from our bench. This time of year, kids do not get fatigued.
“This whole team is getting better, and Chris Johnson is getting better. Johnson has played very good basketball.
“Mitchell has held his own against everybody all year long, and he has a lot of respect for Tyler Smith. Smith impacts winning unlike anybody else in our conference and probably in the nation. Mitchell has done a good job all year long of being consistent and playing within himself, so that does not surprise me.”
Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl:
“This ranks right there at the top of disappointments I have experienced.
“LSU was in a bit of foul trouble, we had the rhythm, down the stretch we got the ball where we wanted it, we got good looks, our best players are inside, and that is where we went, but we came up short.
“LSU is an experienced club; they have been there and done that a little bit. We do like for Scotty Hopson to shoot more. He gets in the lane, and the question is whether he should go on in or pass it off. Hopson gets stripped occasionally. But remember, Scotty is a young player, a freshman. On the plus-minus scale he actually came up positive for this game.
“Chris Johnson is a good shot-blocker, and Tasmin Mitchell is very physical. LSU did a good job on Tyler Smith, knowing how important he is to our game. We have been in position to win the last two games, but lost both of them. It seemed we could not get to the free-throw line.
“We put Josh Tabb at the point-guard position to start the game because I believe Bobby Maze can do more than he has been doing. Maze has worked extremely hard to improve defensively, but that concentration has taken away from our offensive game.”