In a closely contested basketball match in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Tennessee Volunteers clinched a narrow victory over the LSU Tigers, winning 65-59 on Tuesday night. Leading the charge for the Volunteers was Zakai Zeigler, who contributed a significant 17 points to the scoreboard. Felix Okpara also played a pivotal role, adding 15 points to ensure the victory for No. 5 Tennessee.
Chaz Lanier was another standout for the Volunteers, scoring 14 points and achieving a season-high with nine rebounds. Despite Tennessee’s sluggish offensive performance in the initial half, they managed to establish a 15-point lead when Cade Phillips made a crucial free throw with just over three minutes to play. LSU, however, displayed resilience, narrowing the gap to 64-59 with only 11 seconds remaining but fell short of overtaking their opponents.
For the LSU Tigers, Vyctorius Miller delivered an impressive performance with 17 points, while Cam Carter added 12 points. This game marked the second consecutive loss for LSU against top-five ranked teams.
The Volunteers have secured victory in six of their last seven games, although four of those wins were by small margins. In this game, Tennessee demonstrated their dominance inside, outscoring LSU 32-20 in the paint.
LSU, on the other hand, showed tenacity with a dynamic perimeter defense, managing to keep the game competitive. They managed to restrict Tennessee to 4.4% less shooting accuracy than their usual average of 45.4%, and also held them well under their season average of 74.7 points per game. Unfortunately for LSU, their shooting was not effective enough to secure a win similar to the upset seen earlier in the night when Georgia triumphed over No. 3 Florida.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Zeigler executed a challenging floater while drawing a foul. Although he missed the subsequent free throw, Okpara successfully reclaimed the rebound, extending Tennessee’s lead to 51-42 with eight minutes left in the match. From this point, Tennessee maintained their lead.
A standout statistic from the game was Tennessee’s rebounding conflict. They decisively outrebounded LSU 44-28 and capitalized on 17 offensive rebounds, converting them into 27 second-chance points, which played a crucial role in their victory.
Looking ahead, both teams are preparing for important games on Saturday. Tennessee will face off against No. 6 Alabama at home, while LSU is set to visit No. 24 Mississippi State.
