NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A second-half run vaulted No. 8 Tennessee to an 83-76 victory over Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.

Tennessee faces fourth-ranked Kentucky Saturday afternoon in the semifinals. That game will start at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

All-SEC wing Admiral Schofield finished with a game-high 20 points Friday on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor. Senior Kyle Alexander also posted a dominant performance, dropping 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, with nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams chipped in 16 points, and All-SEC point guard Jordan Bone narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and nine assists. Junior guard Lamonte Turner was also effective at getting open shots for his teammates, dishing out eight assists to go with four steals. Fellow junior Jordan Bowden rounded out UT’s double-digit scorers with 10 points.

Mississippi State had four players score in double figures, with Aric Holman’s 20 points on five 3-pointers leading the way.

Similar to the first half, both teams traded buckets to begin the second half. However, a 10-0 run by Tennessee made it a 13-point game with 9:33 to play. The run was highlighted by a one-handed slam by Schofield over a Mississippi State player that brought the crowd to its feet and gave the Vols all the momentum.

The game was never closer than seven points after the swing in UT’s favor. Tennessee sealed the victory by knocking down seven of its final nine shots. For the game, UT shot 52 percent (34-of-66) from the floor.

The first half went back and forth as both teams traded baskets. The Bulldogs held an early lead, but the Vols responded with a 9-0 run to pull ahead with 10 minutes left.

Tennessee maintained at least a two-possession game for the remainder of the period to head into the break up, 34-28. UT dominated the paint in the first half, outscoring Mississippi State, 24-18, down low. On the defensive side of the court, the Big Orange had six steals, three blocks and limited the Bulldogs to just 18 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Williams led all scorers in the first half with 10 points. Schofield chipped in nine points, while Alexander had eight points, four rebounds, two steals and a block.

PDF BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | VIDEO: BARNES POSTGAME INTERVIEW | VIDEO: SCHOFIELD & WILLIAMS POSTGAME INTERVIEW

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 6/5 Lady Vols defeated the No. 11/13 Texas Longhorns, 9-5, on the second day of the annual Tennessee Invitational to improve to 21-3 on the season and 2-0 in the tournament.

Offensively, the Big Orange had four players record two hits in the outing while Cailin Hannon (2-for-4) tallied three RBI and Haley Bearden (2-for-4) and Ashley Morgan (1-for-3) each drove in two runs.

Matty Moss earned the start and the win on her birthday, tossing 4.0 innings. The Greenville, S.C., native allowed two runs on eight hits and threw three strikeouts. Ashley Rogers saw action in relief, giving up three runs on four hits while fanning two batters.

Tennessee wasted no time putting runs on the scoreboard as Bearden hit a home run in the first frame bringing home Aubrey Leach to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead.

The Longhorns threatened in the third inning, putting runners on second and third but quick thinking by UT’s infield resulted in a 2-6-2-5-4-2-5-3 rundown at the plate.

Tennessee carried the momentum over to the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on three hits to extend its advantage, 5-0. Chelsea Seggern hit a two-bagger with one out to score Leach before Morgan singled to right, bringing in two more runs.

In the fourth inning, Texas’ Miranda Elish and Kaitlyn Washington hit back-to-back solo shots to put the Longhorns on the board and trim the Lady Vols’ lead to 5-2.

Freshman Gracie Osbron answered with a long ball of her own to center field in the bottom of the frame to gain back a run.

The Lady Vols put a two-spot up in the fifth thanks to Hannon’s third home run of the season. The junior belted one to right after Amanda Ayala worked the count for a walk.

UT scored its final run of the night in the sixth inning on consecutive hits from Madison Pacini and Hannon.

Not going down without a fight, Texas attempted a rally in the seventh. The Burnt Orange and White led off with a homer before a bunt single put a runner on base for a two-run shot by Mary Iakopo.

THE HOMERS KEEP COMING: Tennessee added three home runs to its season total on Friday as Haley Bearden, Gracie Osbron and Cailin Hannon all notched one long ball vs. Texas. Bearden is second on the team with six homers so far this season.

ON DECK: Tennessee takes on BYU on Saturday, March 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET before facing Texas in the final game of the Tennessee Invitational on Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m. ET. Both games will be aired on SECN+/WatchESPN App and have a live radio broadcast on UTSports.com and AM 990.

Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights | Co-Head Coach Karen Weekly Postgame Interview | Senior Pitcher Matty Moss Postgame Interview

-UT Athletics

Tennessee guard/forward Admiral Schofield after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.

Tennessee forward Kyle Alexander after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.

Tennessee forward Grant Williams after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.