The Tennessee Volunteers were ready for LSU at the opening tip, and they were ready for the closing stretch, too.
Tennessee scored the first 14 points Saturday night inside Thompson-Boling Arena, but the No. 24 Vols didn’t secure the 64-50 triumph over the No. 13 Tigers until reeling off 13 consecutive points in the game’s final minutes.
The Vols improved to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in Southeastern Conference play after avenging a 79-67 loss at LSU on Jan. 8 that served as a fourth straight series win by the Tigers.
“Defensively, we were better here than we were in Baton Rouge,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said in a news conference. “We had way too many easy bailouts down there, and I thought we really went at it rebounding today against a team that really gets off the ground. It was the kind of game we thought it would be, hard fought and physical, but I think they’re all going to be like that.”
Junior guard Santiago Vescovi accounted for five of Tennessee’s 10 made 3-pointers and scored a team-high 16 points for the Vols, who improved to 10-0 at home this season.