Mississippi State Falls To Georgia In SEC Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – J.J. Frazier scored 28 points, and Georgia beat 11th-seeded Mississippi State 79-69 Thursday night at the Southeastern Conference tournament.

The sixth-seeded Bulldogs (18-12) won their fourth straight game in trying to make a final case for an NCAA Tournament berth, and they will play No. 4 seed South Carolina on Friday night in the quarterfinals.

Yante Maten added 20 points for Georgia, which swept both games against Mississippi State this season. Charles Mann had 12, and Kenny Gaines 10.

Mississippi State (14-17) wrapped up coach Ben Howland’s first season with its second loss in three games.

Craig Sword led Mississippi State with 19 points, Fred Thomas added 17 and I.J. Ready 13.

Georgia led by as much as 16 before Mississippi State made it interesting, pulling within four. The Bulldogs then went cold, missing 12 of their final 14 shots.