VOLS SURGE PAST LSU ON ROAD, 68-50
A late first-half surge
propelled the Tennessee Volunteers to a 68-50 victory over LSU to open
Southeastern Conference play Tuesday.
Thanks to a 3-pointer
barrage by seniors Antonio Barton and Jordan McRae, Tennessee (10-4,
1-0 SEC) outscored the Tigers 18-6 in the final seven minutes of the
first half to pull away at Maravich Center.
The Vols
maintained their lead in the second half to secure their first road win
of the season and the most lopsided road victory in head coach Cuonzo
Martin’s time at Tennessee.
Reigning SEC player of the week
McRae led the Vols with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field,
including three 3-pointers. Barton finished with 14 points, thanks to
four 3-pointers in the first half.
Junior Jarnell Stokes
recorded his team-leading seventh double-double of the season to
celebrate his 20th birthday, finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
He has 25 double-doubles in his career.
LSU (9-4, 0-1) cut the
Vols’ lead to 20-18, but Barton responded by sinking 3-pointer to put
the Vols ahead 23-18 with 6:26 in the first half.
Barton added
two more 3-pointers in the next six minutes, finishing four in the
half. McRae chipped in a 3-pointer of his own in the last minute, and
the Vols led 38-24 at halftime.
The Vols were sterling from
3-point range during the first half, making 7-of-11 shots. Barton was a
perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc with a team-leading 12 points.
McRae was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers with 10 points.
Tennessee was 54 percent from the field in the half (14 of 26) while holding LSU to just 34 percent (11 of 32).
The
Vols kept up their high percentage shooting and led by 12 points or
more the entire second half. Tennessee extended their lead to 20 points
at 68-48 on a pair of free throws by McRae with just over a minute
left.
The Vols finished the game shooting 46 percent from the
floor (24 of 52). They also enjoyed a solid night at the free throw
line, making 12-of-15 shots (80 percent).
The 18-point final
margin of victory marks the most lopsided road win in the Martin era
and the largest road margin of victory for the Vols since beating South
Carolina by 24 points in an 80-56 win on Jan. 12, 2008.
Jordan
Mickey led LSU with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
Johnny O’Bryant III was the only other LSU player in double figures,
finishing with 11 points.
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