Wayne Chism had his sixth double-double of the season to help No. 15 Tennessee overcome poor shooting in the first half en route to a 59-49 win over LSU in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

After shooting just 26 percent in the first half, Tennessee bounced back to shoot 50 percent in the second half. The Vols went on a 16-4 run with the score tied 30-30 and led throughout the remainder of the game.

Chism finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, as the Vols improved to 6-0 this season when he notches a double-double.

"If you'd seen us through the season, you've seen us grind some games out like that," Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl said. "You know, we've basically been doing it with defense and rebounding.

"It wasn't a thing of beauty, but it is called 'survive and advance.'"

The Vols trailed for most of the first half, but the teams went to the locker room tied 21-21 following Chism's free throw with less than a second remaining before halftime.

It wasn't a thing of beauty, but it is called survive and advance. Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl

Chism, Brian Williams and J.P. Prince combined for 20 first-half points, while the Vols' backcourt contributed just a single point on 0-for-13 shooting from the floor.

Tennessee finally got a contribution from a guard early in the second half, as Bobby Maze connected on a 3-pointer 54 seconds into the half to give the Vols their first lead since the score was 3-2 in the opening minute of the game.

The teams went back-and-forth over the next few minutes before the Vols scored eight straight points to pull in front. Tennessee built the lead to 12 points on a 3-pointer by Chism and an alley-oop dunk by Prince before LSU started to battle back.

Senior Tasmin Mitchell hit back-to-back 3s to make the score 54-49, but Maze knocked down five of his six free throws in the final minute to give the Vols the 10-point win.

Maze scored all 14 of his points in the second half. He accounted for all 11 of Tennessee's points over the final 2:02.

"I thought for the most part we were in a position where we could have come out with a win," LSU coach Trent Johnson said. "There were a couple of key possessions where they hurt us on the glass, but I can't fault our effort."

If we play like that tomorrow, we won't advance. We'll get beat. We have to play better to beat Ole Miss. Pearl on Friday's quarterfinal

The Vols outrebounded the Tigers 41-34, with Williams leading the way for the Tennessee. The junior finished with a season-high 14 rebounds to go along with seven points. His previous season-high came in the Vols' regular season finale at Mississippi State when he pulled down 13 boards.

"He's a big body, and he's active. 14 rebounds says what it says," Johnson said of Williams. "He's committed to the team, committed to the school, and he's got a lot of energy. He's a difference maker."

The Tigers were led by Storm Warren's 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Mitchell, LSU's leading scorer on the season, finished with only 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting in his final collegiate game. Bo Spencer, the Tigers' second-leading scorer, had just five points on 1-for-10 shooting.

"When Tasmin Mitchell and Bo Spencer combined account for about 45 percent of their offense, it makes sense to have those two guys be the focal point of your scouting report," Pearl said.

"I thought as a team we did a really good job defensively on those two guys because those two guys can absolutely run away and hide and win games.

The win set up a match-up between Tennessee and Ole Miss in Friday's quarterfinals. The Vols picked up a win in the regular season meeting between the teams, pulling out a 71-69 overtime victory in Knoxville. The Rebels held a 12-point lead with just nine minutes left in the game before the Vols stormed back to force overtime.

"If we play like that tomorrow, we won't advance," Pearl said. "We'll get beat. We have to play better to beat Ole Miss."

Friday's tip-off is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. EST/2:15 p.m. CST and follows the Kentucky-Alabama contest, with television coverage on SEC Network and ESPN360.com.