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Final Score: Vanderbilt 52 - Miss State 62

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Barry Stewart had 14 points and eight rebounds to help Mississippi State upend No. 20 Vanderbilt, 62-52, for a return trip to the SEC Tournament title game.

Jarvis Varnado was his usual productive self in the paint with 11 points, nine rebounds and six blocks while holding Vandy's resident big, A.J. Ogilvy, without a field goal and to just four boards.

Dee Bost and Phil Turner kicked in 11 points apiece for the Bulldogs (23-10), who defeated Tennessee in the 2009 title game and will look to add to their three SEC crowns in a daunting task opposite Kentucky, which got by the Volunteers earlier Saturday.

"We just know we beat a very good basketball team that's always as prepared as any team as you'll go against. They're good offensively in the half-court offense, probably one of the most difficult teams to play against," said Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury. "But I thought our team defensively did some things about as well as you could do it."

Jermaine Beal recorded 11 points and Jeffery Taylor added nine with eight rebounds for the Commodores (24-8), who struggled at times before getting by Georgia in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Brad Tinsley also had nine points but Vandy shot just 34.6 percent from the floor and trailed nearly the entire game.

"We just got outplayed today, especially in close to the basket. They were much better than us. I thought our defense was good enough to win the game, but offensively we were never able to find a rhythm," said Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings.

The Commodores' last lead of the game expired seven minutes into the first half when Turner went on his own eight-point run with back-to-back threes and a layup to give MSU a 16-11 edge.

Turner and Stewart scored on consecutive trips up the hardwood to run the Bulldog lead to 23-16 at the eight-minute mark.

A Festus Ezeli basket cut the Vandy deficit to three a short time later and Beal stroked a late three for a four-point difference before the Bulldogs were able to settle on a 33-27 halftime advantage.

An 11-0 Mississippi State burst in the opening moments of the second half set the tone for a gritty win as Bost's layup capped things for a 44-29 margin.

John Jenkins recorded the Commodores' first field goal of the period nearly five minutes in, but the Bulldogs went through a bleak scoring stretch of their own.

Romero Osby's dunk would be MSU's only points for nearly six minutes, and Vanderbilt drew within four, 49-45, on a Jenkins jumper with under seven minutes to go.

Tinsley dropped in a three-pointer a little more than a minute later for a one-possession game at 51-48, but again the Commodores were done in by poor shooting.

Vandy missed its next six shots and two free throws as added insult while the Bulldogs ran away with the game on a 10-1 run. Varnado's three-point play ended the stretch for a 61-49 difference with 1:01 on the clock, essentially sealing the outcome.