ST. LOUIS -- No. 13 Tennessee came into the Southeastern Conference Tournament as one of the conference's top defensive teams.
It was the team's defense that bailed out a struggling offense in the Volunteers' 62-59 victory over Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday night.
The second-seeded Volunteers (24-7) led nearly the entire game, but the Bulldogs (22-11) had an opportunity to take the lead in the final 10 seconds. Down 61-59, Xavian Stapleton missed a 3-pointer that would have put the Bulldogs ahead.
Tennessee struggled to put away Mississippi State at the end, missing a slew of free throws.