GREENVILLE, S.C. - No. 13 seed Texas A&M defeated No. 5 seed Mississippi State, 79-72, in the second round of the SEC Tournament inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Thursday.

The Bulldogs pulled away early in the first quarter, going on a 7-0 run to establish a 14-6 lead. The Aggies tacked on a few with a 3-pointer by Aaliyah Patty and Janiah Barker's jump shot, 16-11, before Mississippi State continued to pile on the points.

Jessika Carter registered a 5-0 run with a layup and a trio of free throws to widen the gap, 21-11. The Bulldogs took a six-point lead into the second quarter, 25-19, with 10 points by Carter in the first.

Texas A&M switched up the pace and controlled the second quarter, starting off with Patty's jump shot and a 3-pointer by Sydney Bowles to close in, 25-24. Jada Malone's layup gave the Aggies their first lead of the game, 26-25, with over seven minutes remaining in the half.

Carter picked up her second foul with 3:27 left in the first quarter. Texas A&M outscored the Bulldogs 13-4 over the following five minutes.

Texas A&M's newfound energy dominated the Bulldogs with a 12-0 run, extending their lead to 35-25.

However, Mississippi State finally put a stop to the momentum with only 2:17 left in the half as Ramani Parker laid one in, chipping away at the 10-point deficit, 35-27.

Ahlana Smith worked to close in from the free throw line, but Barker put up one more shot before the halftime buzzer to set up the Aggies' seven-point lead at the end of the first half, 37-30.

The Aggies held the Bulldogs to only five points in the second quarter, the fewest they've allowed this season while matching the fewest points Mississippi State has scored in a quarter this season.

The third quarter kicked off with Debreasha Powe's 3-pointer before Jordan swiped the ball to set in an uncontested layup, putting the Bulldogs within close range, 37-35.

But the Aggies wouldn't give in that easily, as Bowles' third 3-pointer of the game sealed their 7-0 run and stretched the lead, 44-35, with over half the quarter left to play.

Smith's layup and two pairs of Asianae Johnson's free throws brought the Bulldogs within three, 44-41, but the Aggies would widen the gap once again, 49-41. Mississippi State continued to fight back, coming within three again, 49-46, with only 2:28 remaining in the third quarter.

Bowles remained a threat beyond the arc, draining two more triples just 31 seconds apart, to defend Texas A&M's lead, 58-51.

After Parker dropped in a pair of free throws, Tineya Hylton made two layups in the final seconds of the third for the Aggies to carry a 62-53 lead into the final quarter.

Mississippi State went on a 11-6 run in the fourth as Carter contributed six to close the gap, 68-64, with 4:43 left to play.

But Bowles couldn't be stopped, scoring another from distance to pull the Aggies away, 73-64.

The Bulldogs remained undeterred as Carter, Hayes and Powe each tossed in a layup to come within three, 73-70, with 2:01 remaining.

McKinzie Green drained another Aggies triple before Anastasia Hayes scored Mississippi State's last points of the game from the free throw line.

Malone's layup finalized Texas A&M's 79-72 win over 5-seed Mississippi State to advance in the tournament. The Aggies became the first 13 seed to ever make the SEC quarterfinals.

Mississippi State (20-10, 9-7 SEC) is eliminated from the tournament.

Notables

Texas A&M

• Texas A&M shot 64.7% (11-of-17) from 3-point range and hit on 51.7% (30-of-58) for the second-consecutive game.
• Texas A&M recorded a season-low 10 turnovers and registered an SEC Tournament program-best 23 assists on its 30 buckets.
• Sydney Bowles paced the Aggies with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, equaling her career high with six 3-point field goals.
• Aaliyah Patty set a Texas A&M SEC Tournament record with a career-high five blocked shots. She also recorded 15 points and six rebounds.
• Jada Malone matched her career-high with her second straight 12-point effort. She also marked six rebounds, one block and one steal.

Mississippi State

• The Bulldogs outrebounded the Aggies, 39-29.
• The Bulldogs made 22 free throws, shooting 81% from the free throw line.
• Jessika Carter scored 18 points, the most she has scored in an SEC tournament game, with 10 of her 18 points in the first quarter.
• JerKaila Jordan logged 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists, scoring nine of her 12 points in the second half.
• Debreasha Powe finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Up Next

13-seed Texas A&M (9-19, 2-14 SEC) will face 4-seed Ole Miss ((22-7, 11-5 SEC) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday. The game starts 25 minutes after the 12 p.m. ET contest between Arkansas and South Carolina.