The Pete Maravich Center hasn't been kind to even Tennessee's best teams over the last seven years, but past history didn't matter to the Vols on Saturday.

Ninth-ranked Tennessee, behind another commanding defensive effort and strong three-point shooting, snapped a four-game losing streak against LSU on its home floor with a 77-56 win.

In just his second start this season after missing time with knee soreness, Josiah-Jordan James was stellar – leading the Vols in scoring with a season-high 22 points, while Zakai Zeigler scored 12 and totaled 10 assists for a double-double. Julian Phillips finished with 10 points.

After missing the Mississippi State game, Tyreke Key and Santiago Vescovi finished with 10 and six points, respectively.

Tennessee was lethal from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 3-pointers for 37.5% shooting from deep. LSU shot 47.7% from the field but was just 25.0% from three.

The Vols outrebounded the Tigers, 34-29, and scored 33 points off LSU turnovers.

The two teams went back and forth in the opening two minutes, but Tennessee took the lead for good after the Tigers went 0-for-9 from the field during a scoring drought that lasted more than nine minutes.

The Vols (16-3, 6-1 SEC) made the most of that stretch, going on a 9-0 run that was jumpstarted by a James jumper. Zeigler scored twice on a layup and a 3-pointer to give the Vols a 15-7 lead before LSU found an answer.

Despite their shooting woes, the Tigers (12-7, 1-6) got back within reach after back-to-back scores from K.J. Williams that pulled LSU within three at 16-13, but Tennessee ended the first half on a 12-2 run – which included a 10-0 run that went nearly two minutes late in the period.

Tennessee made eight 3-pointers in the half with five different players connecting from deep. Phillips, James and Key all made two each.

James ended the half with a jumper with six seconds left to extend the Vols' lead to 39-22 at the break.

Vescovi continued Tennessee's impressive three-point shooting with a triple on the Vols' opening possession of the second half, signifying the Vols' continued dominance.

Less than five minutes in, Zeigler buried his second three to up the Tennessee lead to 21 points – and LSU never made a significant push down the stretch. The Vols accounted for four 3-pointers in the half – two of which were from James – and the Vols never led by less than 20 points in the final 15 minutes of the game.

After back-to-back road games, Tennessee returns to Knoxville on Tuesday to face Georgia (13-6, 3-3) at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will air on SEC Network.

*****

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @TMansfieldMedia, @JNichols_2121, @ByNoahTaylor, @TylerIvens, @RealTBannerman, @JacobPolacheck, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden.