Mississippi State is moving on in the SEC Tournament after a hard-fought win over LSU.

In a low-scoring 1st half, No. 9 seed LSU took a 29-22 lead into the locker room. No. 8 seed Mississippi State flipped a switch in the 2nd half and pulled away for a 70-60 win.

The Bulldogs shot just 7-of-24 from the field in the 1st half. In the 2nd half, it was LSU’s turn to go cold, making just 8-of-26 field-goal attempts while MSU shot 16-of-31 from the field in a 48-point half.

LSU’s last lead of the game was 34-32 with 14:05 to go in the game. There was a 36-36 tie before MSU retook the lead and stayed in front. The Tigers kept it within single digits up until the end, but did not have the 2nd-half shooting to come back.

Josh Hubbard once again led the way for Mississippi State. Hubbard had 24 points in the game, including 14 in the 2nd half to lead the comeback. It is Hubbard’s sixth straight game with 20+ points.

MSU had two players in double-figures scoring and double-figure rebounds, but the Bulldogs could not notch a double-double.

Hubbard had 2 boards and 2 assists. D Davis had 12 points with 1 rebound and 1 assist. MSU’s top rebounders were Smith III (8 points, 13 rebounds) and Jeffries (8 points, 11 rebounds).

Mississippi State’s second-round win sets up a matchup with Tennessee on Friday. The Vols won the regular-season conference title and are the SEC Tournament’s No. 1-seed. UT is looking to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing in Nashville.

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Mississippi State NCAA Tournament outlook

Heading into the game, the thought was that Mississippi State needed to win to securely maintain its status as an NCAA Tournament team. Things could have potentially gotten dicey with a loss, but the Bulldogs put those concerns to rest.

MSU entered the day No. 42 in the NET. LSU was No. 95 in the NET, if the Tigers stay above No. 100 it’s a Quad 2 neutral-site win for the Bulldogs.

Assuming it goes down as Quad 2, here’s where Mississippi State’s NCAA Tournament resume stands going into Friday: 3-8 Quad 1, 4-3 Quad 2, 7-0 Quad 3, 6-1 Quad 4.