KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Wayne Chism scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds before a frightening injury forced him out of No. 14 Tennessee's 89-62 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Monday night.

Tennessee's Wayne Chism (4) is fouled by Louisiana-Lafayette's Colby Batiste (0) as he goes for a shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2008 in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

With 5:12 left in the game, the team's leading rebounder landed hard on his back under the basket after blocking a shot by La'Ryan Gary. Play was delayed for several minutes as Chism was strapped to a board, placed in a neck brace and taken out of the arena on a stretcher.

The extent of his injury wasn't immediately known.

The game was the last chance for the young Volunteers (9-2) to build some needed confidence before heading into a seven-game stretch that includes contests against defending national champion Kansas, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Memphis.

Tennessee got the boost it was looking for from strong play in transition, scoring 20 points on fast breaks and 31 off turnovers.

Tyler Smith added 10 points for the Vols.

Randell Daigle led Louisiana-Lafayette (4-7) with 16 points, including 12 on 3-pointers. Lamar Roberson added 11.

The Vols looked at first as if they were having a hard time shaking off the rust from their nine-day holiday break as they traded the lead with Louisiana-Lafayette in the opening minutes.

Behind by a point 2 minutes into the game, Tennessee went on an 11-0 run with the help of fast-break layups by Smith, Brian Williams and Josh Tabb to take a 17-7 lead with 14:12 left in the first half.

Daigle tried to keep the Ragin' Cajuns close with three 3-pointers in a row, but the Vols slowly built their lead up to 15 points twice and entered halftime ahead 44-31.

Tennessee built on its lead after the break thanks to 48.8 percent shooting as Louisiana-Lafayette shot 37.9 percent from the field.

J.P. Prince, the Vols' third-leading scorer, returned after sitting out games against Temple, Marquette and Belmont. He finished with eight points.

The Cajuns were again without leading scorer Travis Bureau, who was averaging 16.8 points per game before sustaining a groin injury.