Atlanta, GA -- (Sports Network) - Mykal Riley missed a game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer in overtime, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs survived the Alabama Crimson Tide and a weather-related delay for a 69-67 victory in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament at the Georgia Dome.

With MSU leading with 2:11 left in overtime, the game was paused for 64 minutes as a storm, possibly a tornado, tore holes in the upper deck of the Georgia Dome. When the game finally resumed, the Bulldogs continued to hold the lead and escaped after Riley's three-pointer rattled out at the buzzer.

The Bulldogs will play the winner of the game between Georgia and Kentucky in the semifinals. The Georgia-Kentucky game was postponed and not immediately rescheduled, although it could mean one team will have to play two games either Saturday or Sunday. The selection of teams for the NCAA Tournament takes place Sunday night.

"We plan for a lot of things. We sure didn't plan for a tornado," Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. "What a moment that was. With that moment, it made you forget all about that game to that instance. I had no idea what was left on the clock or what was going on."

MSU (22-9), the top seed out of the West Division, was paced by Jamont Gordon, who tallied a game-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Charles Rhodes contributed 15 points and eight rebounds, and Barry Stewart turned in 11 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Jarvis Varnado notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the victory and he also had a couple of key blocks.

"It's got to be one of the worst environments I've ever been in as a player," Rhodes said. "To see stuff falling from the roof, it really scared me, so I didn't know what to do. The last time I've been at something like that, a bat was in the gym. So this really tops that one."

Riley finished with 18 points and five steals for the Tide (17-16), which advanced to Friday's game by knocking off Florida in the first round on Thursday. Richard Hendrix logged a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Alonzo Gee also posted 15 points in the losing effort.

Alabama came out with something to prove and took a 36-29 lead to the break by holding MSU to a dismal 34.5 percent shooting effort from the field over the first 20 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs were unable to seal the game late in the second half and that allowed Riley to send the contest into overtime, 59-59, on a dramatic three- pointer at the buzzer.

Following a pair of missed free throws by MSU's Ben Hansbrough that would have iced the game in overtime, Alabama had a chance to win, but Riley was unable to connect from long range as the buzzer sounded.

MSU, which won all three meetings with Alabama this season, controlled the boards 47-42, and outscored the Tide in the paint by a sizeable 38-18 margin.