BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team trailed for just 92 seconds in a 65-59 triumph Tuesday night at LSU.
Senior guard Zakai Zeigler paced fifth-ranked Tennessee (23-5, 10-5 SEC) with a co-game-high 17 points in the win at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Volunteers held LSU (14-14, 3-12 SEC) scoreless for 6:50 midway through the opening half, forcing six misses and four turnovers. They scored seven straight points at the other end during that period to build a 22-14 edge at the 5:42 mark.
Tennessee’s lead remained eight with under 85 seconds left in the frame, but the Tigers scored the last five points before the break to make it 26-23 at the intermission. Both sides shot 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) through 20 minutes, with the visitors posting a 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) 3-point ledger and holding LSU to a 3-of-15 (20.0 percent) tally.
The Volunteers used an early 6-0 second-half surge to go up by 11, 39-28, with 14:59 left. LSU countered with 10 of the next 14 points, trimming the margin to 43-38 with 10:52 to go, the first of three times it got within five.
Tennessee, however, never led the home team get any closer. Used a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, in 2:50 late the frame to build a 14-point advantage, 58-44, with 4:29 to go. Just 65 seconds later, the Volunteers took their largest lead, 61-46.
The Tigers put together a late rally, logging an 11-1 run in 1:46, to again slice their deficit to five with 12 ticks left. Tennessee scored the final point of the night from the free-throw line and sealed the victory with a defensive stop.
Zeigler, who scored 11 of his points in the final 15 minutes, led a trio of Volunteers with over a dozen points. Junior forward Felix Okpara notched 15, one shy of his career high, on a perfect 6-of-6 field-goal mark and an unblemished 3-of-3 free-throw ledger. Lanier had 14 points and went 3-of-8 from 3-point range, while senior guard Jahmai Mashack added nine points.
Four Tennessee players grabbed at least seven rebounds, with Lanier’s season-high nine pacing all players. Mashack had eight to equal his career best, while Okpara and senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., each pulled down seven. It marked the 10th time in the last 20 seasons (2005-25), including the second this year, four Volunteers logged seven-plus boards.
Freshman guard Vyctorious Miller had 17 points, finishing 6-of-11 from the field, with a 3-of-6 long range mark. Senior guard Cam Carter scored 12 points, but Tennessee limited him to a 3-of-10 shooting, including a 1-of-6 count on 3-pointers.
The shooting percentages across the board were nearly identical. Tennessee had a 41.1 percent (23-of-56) clip overall, a 27.3 percent (6-of-22) ledger from deep and a 61.9 percent (13-of-21) figure at the line. LSU recorded respective marks of 41.2 percent (21-of-51), 25.9 percent (7-of-27) and 62.5 percent (10-of-16).
Tennessee, though, registered a commanding 17-8 edge on the offensive glass, leading to a 27-8 margin in second-chance points. It marked the team’s highest total since Nov. 9, 2021.
The Volunteers now head home, where they play sixth-ranked Alabama in a top-10 clash Saturday at 4 p.m., live on ESPN from Food City Center.
