(AP) — The defense that carried No. 18 Mississippi State to the Top 25 was missing Sunday. Cierra Burdick scored a career-high 24 points and had eight rebounds and six assists to help No. 6 Tennessee beat Mississippi State 79-67. The Lady Volunteers shot a season-high 56.9 percent against Mississippi State, which had allowed only three other opponents to shoot above 45 percent this season. The first half alone featured 12 ties, and Tennessee's 36-31 advantage at the intermission matched the largest lead either team had owned up to that point. Bashaara Graves scored nine straight points during an 11-0 run that extended Tennessee's lead to 59-44. Kendra Grant's jumper cut the deficit to 70-65 with 3:19 left, but that's as close as the Bulldogs got. The Bulldogs are two wins shy of matching their school record for victories in a season. Senior guard Ariel Massengale has 991 points.