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Davis, Mitchell lift LSU over Sanford

Dec 30, 2006 - 7:57 AM BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Glen Davis scored 19 points and Tasmin Mitchell added 13 to lead No. 19 LSU to a 60-45 victory over Samford in the Hispanic College Fund Classic.

Davis, who also scored 19 points in the Tigers' 92-58 win over Mississippi Valley State on Thursday, scored 10 in the first half as LSU (10-3) held just a 25-21 lead at the break.

The junior forward, who collected 64 points in the three-day tournament, was named the event's Most Valuable Player.

"I knew before tonight's game that it was going to be a possession-by-possession game and that it was going to go all 40 minutes," LSU coach John Brady said. "I thought as time went on, we would be good enough athletically and defensively to slowly advance our lead, which is what we were able to do."

"I thought we played better tonight," Samford coach Jimmy Tillette said. "It was a step in the right direction. We definitely competed better than we did yesterday, and I was pleased with the way that we started the game. LSU is a tough team, and they are very hard to play your best against. Glen Davis is obviously a pro, as is Mitchell."

Davis added nine points in the second half as the Tigers pulled away by outscoring the Bulldogs, 35-24, en route to their fourth straight victory.

Dameon Mason added 11 points for the Tigers, who shot 56 percent (24-of-43) from the field.

"It was a good game for us to win because of how patient of a team (the Bulldogs) are," Brady said. "I think our team stayed positive because Samford is a team that can frustrate you if you allow them to."

Randall Gulina scored 14 points to lead Samford (6-6), which shot 45 percent (17-of-38) from the floor.