Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Andre Stringer scored 16 points and made a couple of clutch shots down the stretch to help LSU hold off a furious Georgia comeback, taking a 68-63 triumph in second-round play of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The Tigers (19-11) saw their 20-point halftime lead dwindle down to two with just over a minute to go, but Stringer buried a tough 3-pointer to push LSU's lead up to five and soon after sealed the victory with a pair of free throws.

Shavon Coleman scored a team-high 24 and Johnny O'Bryant finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds despite a 6-of-17 performance from the free-throw line for the Tigers, who will take on top-seeded Florida in Friday's quarterfinal.

SEC Player of the Year Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tallied 23 of his game-high 32 points in the second half to get Georgia (15-17) back into the contest, but misfired on a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 14 seconds left. He also had 13 rebounds.

Charles Mann made 12-of-14 from the free throw line to finish with 15 points in the setback.

The Tigers controlled the pace the entire first half, using a 12-0 run over the latter stages of the period to create a 22-point cushion before taking a 39-19 lead into the locker room.

However, Caldwell-Pope made five of his six 3-pointers after halftime, with his last cutting the Bulldogs' deficit to four. Mann then sank a pair of free throws to make it 63-61, but Stringer nailed a triple on the ensuing possession with 35 seconds showing and Georgia never came any closer.

Final Score: Tennessee 69, Mississippi State 53

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Jordan McRae scored 17 points as Tennessee cruised past Mississippi State, 69-53, in second-round play of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

Trae Golden added 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Jarnell Stokes chipped in 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals to help the Volunteers (20-11) advance to Friday's quarterfinal against fourth-seeded Alabama.

Craig Sword had 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting, but Mississippi State (10-22) made just 34.5 percent of its shots as a team and trailed nearly the entire contest. Colin Borchert added 12 points and Trivante Bloodman scored 10 in defeat.

The Bulldogs took a 4-0 lead to start the game, but the Volunteers answered by scoring the next 12 points, with McRae and Golden each contributing 3-point plays.

Sword followed a Borchert triple with a layup to keep Mississippi State within seven at 21-14, but Tennessee rifled off a 14-2 run to take complete control at 35-16 with 3:39 to go in the half.

Trailing 35-19 coming out of the locker room, the Bulldogs got their deficit down to 58-49 with 4:42 left in the contest, but never came any closer.

The Sports Network