Starkville, MS (SportsNetwork.com) - I.J. Ready netted a team-best 11 points as the Mississippi State Bulldogs held on for a 57-54 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores in a SEC thriller at Humphrey Coliseum.

Fred Thomas added 10 points for MSU (8-9, 1-3 SEC), which snapped a three-game losing streak and picked up its first conference win of the campaign. Gavin Ware paced the Bulldogs on the glass with 13 boards.

Damian Jones led the Commodores (11-6, 1-3) with 21 points and eight rebounds. Riley LaChance added 12 points for Vanderbilt as it lost its third game in a row.

The Commodores took a 26-18 lead into the intermission after they knocked down 39.1 percent of their field goal tries in the opening period. MSU was limited to 34.8 percent efficiency from the floor in the first half.

The Bulldogs heated up to sink 42.9 percent of their shots from the floor and converted 18-of-22 tries at the charity stripe after the break. Vanderbilt went just 2-of-13 from 3-point range over the final 20 minutes of the contest. The Commodores had a chance to force an extra session, but Baldwin Wade IV's last second attempt from behind the 3-point line fell off the mark and Vanderbilt did not have enough time to try another triple before the final buzzer sounded.

MSU finished with a 41-28 advantage in total rebounds and outscored the Commodores, 20-9, at the charity stripe.