Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Tennessee 74, Louisiana State 69
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Officials: # Doug Shows, # Jamie Luckie, # Mike Nance
Attendance: 10476

TENNESSEE 74, LSU 69:
Jarnell Stokes scored a career-high 18 points and the host Volunteers held the Tigers to two field goals in overtime in a battle of NCAA Tournament bubble teams.

Tennessee (17-13, 9-6 SEC) trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half and 11 at halftime. The Volunteers answered with an 11-2 outburst in the first four minutes of the second stanza, and didn't take their first lead until Cameron Tatum’s 3-pointer opened the scoring in the extra session.

LSU (17-12, 7-8 SEC) missed four field goals and a free throw in the final two minutes of regulation, and fell into an insurmountable 72-66 hole with less than a minute to go in overtime.

Justin Hamilton’s 17 points led LSU, which has lost consecutive games for the first time since ending January in a three-game slide.

The Volunteers, picked to finish 11th in the SEC preseason poll, clinched a winning record in SEC play and can still finish as high as second pending the outcomes of this weekend's games.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Tennessee now has won three straight and eight of its past 10. … Jeronne Maymon, the Volunteers’ top scorer and rebounder in league play, was scoreless at the half but finished with 14. … The Volunteers’ Trae Golden also scored 14 points. … Tennessee attempted zero free throws and failed to grab an offensive board in the first half. … Anthony Hickey (12 points) and Johnny O’Bryant (11) also reached double figures for LSU. … Rarely used reserve Chris Bass got the start for the Tigers, as they held their senior night festivities.
Top Game Performances
 
Tennessee   Louisiana State
Jarnell Stokes 18 Scoring Justin Hamilton 17
Trae Golden 4 Assists Anthony Hickey 3
Jarnell Stokes 7 Rebounds Justin Hamilton 9
Trae Golden 9 Free Throws Made Justin Hamilton 7
Skylar McBee 2 Steals Chris Bass 1
Yemi Makanjuola 1 Blocks Justin Hamilton 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Tennessee 74 51.0 5-9 19-22 11 28 4 10 14
Louisiana State 69 42.9 5-13 16-23 11 30 8 4 13