The LSU men’s basketball team played arguably its best game in the last month Thursday night, but the Tigers still fell short in the closing seconds to No. 14 Tennessee, 59-54.
LSU (9-13, 0-8) had a chance to overcome Tennessee (17-4, 5-2) late, but the Vols drained four-straight free throws to clinch the victory.
“I’m pleased with the effort, but 0-8 is 0-8,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson. “We just have to find a way to get over the hump.”
With 17.9 seconds left in the game, senior forward Tasmin Mitchell heaved up a contested 3-pointer and was fouled. The ball spun around the rim and fell out, but Mitchell nailed all three free throws and cut the Volunteer lead to one, 55-54.
Freshman guard Daron Populist fouled Tennessee senior guard Bobby Maze on the subsequent in-bound play, putting him to the free-throw line with 16.6 seconds in the game.
Maze made both shots, and with only a few seconds remaining junior guard Bo Spencer found Mitchell at the top of the key for a possible game-tying 3-pointer. But the shot rimmed out and the Tigers lost, again.
“I was hoping it went it,” Mitchell said. “I touched rim and it kind of almost went it.”
The loss marked LSU’s eighth straight Southeastern Conference loss and its 11th loss in the past 12 games. The Tigers sit firmly implanted at the bottom of the SEC West.
Tennessee, on the other hand, is still battling with Kentucky and Vanderbilt for the top spot in the SEC East and has won eight of its last 10 games.
Unlike previous games, the Tigers played their best basketball in the second half, and outscored Tennessee, 38-33, in the half.
“It doesn’t feel good to lose, but we came out having a lot of heart,” Mitchell said about the second half. “I can say I’m pleased with our team’s effort.”
But the first half was not as smooth for LSU.
After a jumping out to an early 5-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game, the Tigers deflated for more than six minutes, and the Volunteers went on a 13-0 run.
The Volunteers finished the half with a demanding 26-16 lead, despite only shooting 30 percent from the field.
The Tigers missed nine straight shots following their quick start and shot 24 percent from the field in the first half. Spencer hit four of the Tigers’ six made shots in the half and led the Tigers with 10 points before the break.
Mitchell was held in check in the first half, shooting blanks on five attempts and only scoring one point.
Almost half of the LSU’s first half shot attempts were 3-pointers, but the Tigers only converted on two of its 11 shots from behind the arc in the half.
Spencer came out on fire in the second half, going 4-for-9 from the field and making all five of his free throws. He finished with a game-leading 25 points.
“He was aggressive and stayed within the framework or what we wanted to do,” Johnson said.
As cold as Mitchell was in the first half, the Tigers’ season scoring leader heated up quickly in the second, making his first three shots of the half. Mitchell ended the game with 13 points and 17 rebounds.
The Tigers could not stop Tennessee senior forward Wayne Chism, who scored a team-high 20 points.
“The biggest problem he causes is he can play in the post and on the perimeter,” Johnson said.
 
-——Contact Jarred LeBlanc at [email protected]