Despite a sloppy first half, Tennessee basketball knocked off LSU 65-59 on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge. Felix Okpara and Jahmai Mashack sparked Tennessee on both ends while a late Tigers push cut into the Vols’ lead but never proved to be a real threat.
Here’s three quick takeaways on the Vols win at LSU.
Ugly First Half From Both Teams
Tennessee came out the gates very slowly on the offensive end but that was no shock for a Volunteer team that’s struggled to open games. But the Vols’ offensive issues continued throughout the first half.
The Vols turnover issues reared their ugly head again at LSU. Tennessee turned it over eight times in the first half and it was a team issue. Six different Vols turned it over in the first half with Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic each recording two.
LSU was little better in the game’s first 20 minutes. Tennessee’s defense had the Tigers in a chokehold and they turned it over six times while shooting a lackluster 37% from the field. The Tigers went a full 6:49 without scoring in the first half. LSU had to score five points in the final 83 seconds of the first half to total just 23 points in the game’s first 20 minutes.
But the first half was so ugly that Tennessee only led by 26-23 after the first 20 minutes of action in Baton Rouge.
Felix Okpara And Jahmai Mashack
Tennessee asks defensive first players Jahmai Mashack and Felix Okpara to do less on the offensive end of the court than any players in the consistent rotation.But those two players gave Tennessee a spark not only on the defensive end but the offensive end of the court.
After the Vols had a narrow halftime lead, Okpara gave Tennessee a real burst in the second half. He drew a foul and hit two free throws on a back to the basket move and then the Vols drew up a play for him a few possessions later and he finished an and-one.
Okpara’s offense helped Tennessee take control of the game early in the second half and he finished the game with 15 points on six-of-six shooting from the field. The 6-foot-11 center did his thing on the other end too, fishing the game with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Mashack gave Tennessee an offensive burst as well. The Vols improved to 11-0 on the season when Mashack made a triple and he totaled nine points while grabbing eight rebounds including four on the offensive end.
But it was Mashack’s all around energy that was most impactful. He played suffocating defense and was a force on the glass. In an ugly game where offense was hard to come by, Mashack was a consistent force for Tennessee.
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Tennessee’s Control Of The Glass Critical
Tennessee had a major statistical advantage rebounding wise entering the matchup and they full took advantage of it.
Four of the Vols’ first seven points came on second chance opportunities and that continued throughout the game. In fact, Tennessee totaled a season-high 27 second chance points against LSU. Tennessee got a handful of second chance points at critical moments too.
When LSU cut the Vols lead to five points midway through the second half, Zakai Zeigler scored on an and-one. He missed the free throw but Felix Okpara outworked the Tiger in front of him to grab the board and finish the layup.
The Vols out rebounded LSU 44-28 including a massive 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass. Tennessee rebounded 52% of its misses on the offensive end, well over its already high season average.
On a night where Tennessee’s offense largely struggled, offensive rebounding was its bread-and-butter that helped secure the win.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee basketball returns home on Saturday afternoon where they’ll face Alabama in a critical matchup for SEC and NCAA Tournament seeding. Tipoff is at 4 p.m. ET and ESPN is broadcasting the game.
