Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell scored 22 points to help South Carolina hold off pesky Mississippi State 63-57 on Tuesday in Southeastern Conference play at Columbia, S.C.

Sophomore forward Chris Silva added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Gamecocks (22-8, 12-5 SEC) won their second game in a row. South Carolina shot just 34 percent from the field but amassed a 39-31 rebounding edge and racked up 10 steals.

Freshman guard Mario Kegler scored 12 points, but the Bulldogs (14-15, 5-12) sabotaged their upset bid by committing 20 turnovers. Freshman guard Tyson Carter added 11 points as Mississippi State lost its seventh consecutive contest.

The Bulldogs played without leading scorer Quinndary Weatherspoon (16.5 points per game). The sophomore guard sprained an ankle Saturday in a loss to Vanderbilt.

Thornwell hit two tying free throws to start a 7-0 run that gave the Gamecocks the lead for good. Senior guard Duane Notice ended the spurt with 3-pointer to make it 57-52 with 2:12 to play.

Mississippi State was unable get closer than four points in the final minute.

Thornwell scored South Carolina's first nine points of the second half, and freshman forward Maik Kotsar followed the spree with a basket of his own as the Gamecocks opened up a 43-33 lead with 14:10 remaining.

The Bulldogs pulled within four after back-to-back 3-pointers by Carter, but South Carolina guard Rakym Felder banked in a 3-pointer to give the Gamecocks a 50-43 lead. However, South Carolina went 5 1/2 minutes without scoring, and Carter drilled a 3-pointer to give Mississippi State a 52-50 lead with 4:30 remaining.

Thornwell had just five first-half points on 1-of-6 shooting, and the Gamecocks shot just 30 percent from the field -- and 1 of 12 from 3-point range -- before leading 32-29 at the break.

Mississippi State held a 15-12 lead after scoring seven straight points before South Carolina scored the next five to regain the lead. The Bulldogs again led by three after a tip-in by freshman guard Eli Wright with 2:17 remaining before Gamecocks sophomore guard PJ Dozier drained a tying 3-pointer as part of a half-ending 6-0 burst.