Tennessee's Brandon Crump, right, gets his hand on the ball to block the shot of Louisiana State's Jaime Lloreda (14) during the first half Wednesday Feb. 4, 2004, in Baton Rouge, La. No foul was called. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)
Feb. 4, 2004
BATON ROUGE (AP)-- Darrel Mitchell scored 22 points and Jaime Lloreda added 18 with 12 rebounds to lead LSU to a 84-67 victory over Tennessee on Wednesday. LSU led by just two points early in the second half, but pulled away with an 11-4 run and led the rest of the game. The win gave the Tigers (15-4, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) their third in a row and ended a four-game losing streak at home to Tennessee (11-7, 3-5).
LSU shot 60.4 percent, or 29-of-48, from the field and hit 10-of-18, 55.6 percent, from 3-point range. Tennessee hit 26-of-62, or 41 percent, from the field and 8-of-17 3-pointers, or 47.1 percent.
Mitchell hit 6-of-8 shots from 3-point range, 8-of-10 overall from the field, and had eight assists. Antonio Hudson scored 17 points off the bench, and Brandon Bass and Tack Minor each had 10.
LSU had a 34-28 advantage in rebounds.
Jemere Hendrix's jumper at the midway point of the first half pulled the Volunteers into a 15-15 tie, but LSU answered with a 10-2 run, including 3-pointers by Hudson and Mitchell, and the Tigers led 38-34 at the half.
Tennessee was within 41-39 two minutes into the second half, but an 11-4 run by the Tigers midway through the second half extended LSU's lead to double figures for the first time at 60-49.