• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ogilvy, Vanderbilt end LSU's 11-game win streak

Mar 5, 2009 - 5:36 AM BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Ticker) -- A.J. Ogilvy may have kept Vanderbilt's NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

The sophomore center scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Commodores pulled out a 75-67 upset victory over No. 11 Louisiana State on Wednesday.

"We knew they were pretty skinny inside so we knew we had to pound down low," said Ogilvy, who shot 12-of-17 from the field. "We did a good job preparing all week for that and the coaches obviously knew what to do to get us a win down here."

"We just wanted to get the ball to A.J. (Ogilvy) and see if he could do some work for us and he was able to step up and play well," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "It's always great to get a road win."

Jermaine Beal finished with 17 points for Vanderbilt (18-11, 7-8 SEC), which shot 52 percent (27-of-52) from the field en route to ending the Tigers' 11-game winning streak.

Marcus Thornton poured in 18 points and Tasmin Mitchell added 16 with eight boards for LSU (25-5, 13-2), which had already clinched the SEC regular-season title after winning its previous 14 contests in conference.

"It didn't work out the way we wanted it, but I think you have to tip your hat to Vanderbilt," Tigers coach Trent Johnson said. "Obviously, they played exceptionally well. They dominated us in the paint. I thought for the most part, we got very good looks offensively. The ball just didn't go down for us, which happens."

The Tigers faced a 37-26 deficit at the break but clawed their way back into the game in the second half, tying the contest at 60-60 with 5:51 remaining on Thornton's three-point play.

"I feel like we came out complacent in the first half," Thornton said. "We went out there thinking they were going to lay down and just give us the game because it was a big night for the seniors, but they won. They outbattled us and it showed today."

The Commodores, however, quickly answered with a 6-0 run highlighted by Brad Tinsley's 3-pointer.

"I was really happy with their effort and how hard they played," Stallings said. "We knew LSU was going to make a run - they're such a good team. We were able to knock back their run by hitting some big shots. We had some big shots that were made."

LSU fought back again, cutting the deficit to 68-66 on a pair of free throws by Thornton. But Tinsley buried another three on the ensuing possession to extend Vanderbilt's advantage to five with 37 seconds left.

The Commodores, who have won six of their last nine contests, sealed the victory as Tinsley and Ogilvy each connected on a pair of free throws.