LSU's Matt Derenbecker (21) drives as he is defended by Tennessee's Josh Bone (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Scotty Hopson scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half as Tennessee routed LSU 75-53 on Wednesday night.
The Volunteers (13-7, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) never trailed against the Tigers. They used an 11-2 run to pull away early, and back-to-back 3s by Cameron Tatum from the same spot on the wing gave them a 22-10 lead with 10:42 in the first half.
A 3-pointer by Matt Derenbecker and a pair of free throws from Malcolm White helped LSU cut Tennessee's margin to 31-24 with 3:35 in the first half, but it was as close as the Tigers (10-10, 2-3) would get. Derenbecker had a team-high 13 points, and Eddie Ludwig scored 12 points off the bench.
Tatum added 13 points and Melvin Goins added 11. Tobias Harris scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Volunteers, who scored 18 points off 12 LSU turnovers and scored 34 points in the paint.