No. 24 LSU beats rival Tulane

Posted 8:03AM on Sunday 29th December 2002 ( 22 years ago )

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. 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. 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. LSU made 11 of 21 3-pointers and got 14 points from its bench while Tulane only had scores from its starters. 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. Waitari Marsh led Tulane with 27 points, Brandon Brown had 14 and Nick Sinville had 11. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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