NEW ORLEANS - Darrel Mitchell came off the bench to score 12 points as No. 24 LSU beat Tulane 74-62 Saturday at the Sugar Bowl Classic. <br>
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LSU (8-1) showed no signs of a let down after beating then-No. 1 Arizona 66-65 in its last game, taking the lead in the first half and never relinquishing it. <br>
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Tulane (5-6) scored 197 points in its previous two games, but struggled against the Tigers' defense. The Green Wave shot 40 percent from the field and went just 5-of-18 from 3-point range. <br>
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LSU made 11 of 21 3-pointers and got 14 points from its bench while Tulane only had scores from its starters. <br>
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Ronald Dupree led LSU with 22 points. Torris Bright had 17 points, going 3-of-4 from 3-point distance, and added six assists. Mitchell went 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Jamie Lloreda had 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. <br>
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Waitari Marsh led Tulane with 27 points, Brandon Brown had 14 and Nick Sinville had 11. <br>
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The lead changed nine times in the first 10 minutes of the game. Then LSU went on a 10-point run to take a 26-17 lead with 8:05 left. <br>
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Tulane came back with an 8-0 run to pull within one point at 28-27 at the 3:50 mark on a 3-point basket by Sinville. <br>
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After the 8:05 mark, LSU's only points came from Bright, who had a basket and two 3-pointers to give the Tigers a 34-32 halftime advantage. <br>
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In the second half, the Tigers began wearing the Green Wave down. LSU outscored Tulane 12-7 over the opening minutes of the half, taking a 46-37 lead on Brad Bridgewater's dunk with 15:05 left. <br>
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Tulane came to within three, cutting the Tigers' lead to 54-51 on a basket by Brown with 8:54 left in the game. It was the closest the Green Wave could get. <br>
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The game was a renewal of what was once an emotional state rivalry. The teams had not played since 1982. The last regular-season game was in 1980, when LSU won for the 18th straight time.
