Mississippi State 70, South Carolina 59: Fred Thomas scored a career-high 21 points as the Bulldogs advanced on the opening day of the SEC tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

No. 13 seed Mississippi State (10-21) faces fifth-seed Tennessee in the second round at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs led by double-digits after a 13-0 first-half run, and held on after the Gamecocks (14-18) pulled within 60-56 with four minutes left.

Bruce Ellington scored 13 points to pace South Carolina, which ended its season by losing 11 of its final 13 games.

Mississippi State turned a 13-13 tie into a 26-13 advantage, holding South Carolina scoreless for 6:08. South Carolina used a 7-0 run to pull within four with 4:10 left, but Thomas’ 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining pushed the Bulldogs’ lead to 64-56.

Thomas finished 4-for-8 from 3-point range, adding five steals. Colin Borchert and Roquez Johnson each added 11 points for the Bulldogs, who won for the third time in four games after losing 13 in a row.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Mississippi State finished 17-for-27 from the free-throw line. … Mississippi State lost at Tennessee 72-57 on Jan. 19. … South Carolina shot 37.5 percent, going 6-for-31 on 3-point attempts.