NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Wayne Chism had 17 points and 10 rebounds and No. 15 Tennessee overcame its worst first half of the season to beat LSU 59-49 in the first round of the Southeastern Conference on Thursday.
With the teams tied at 30, Cameron Tatum stretched across the lane to hit a layup with 14:28 left and launch a 16-4 run for Tennessee (24-7). J.P. Prince dunked off an alley-oop pass from Brian Williams to extend the Vols' lead to 46-34, their largest margin of the game.
LSU (11-20) held Tennessee to 25.9 percent from the floor in the first half, the Vols worst shooting performance of any half this season. Tennessee also committed 17 turnovers.
Still, the Tigers couldn't take advantage of the Vols' struggles with 36.4 shooting.
Tennessee, the only ranked team to play on the first day after finishing third in the East Division, advances to play Mississippi, the West's No. 2 seed.
Storm Warren led LSU with 18 points.