National Basketball Association
Florida 56, Tennessee 49
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 15, 2014
Where: Georgia Dome , Atlanta, Georgia
Officials:
# Doug Shows, # Patrick Adams, # Joe Lindsay
Attendance:
N/A
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 1 Florida 56, Tennessee 49: Patric Young scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Gators rallied from a 10-point first half deficit to pull out the semifinal victory in the SEC tournament in Atlanta.
Scottie Wilbekin finished with 14 points and four steals and Casey Prather added 12 points for top-seeded Florida (31-2), who won their 25th straight game. The Gators will face No. 2 seeded Kentucky in Sunday's championship game.
Jordan McRae scored 15 points, Jarnell Stokes finished with 13 points and Jeronne Maymon added with 10 points and nine rebounds for Tennessee (21-12). The Volunteers managed only six points and one field goal over the final 12 1/2 minutes.
Tennessee used a late 8-0 run to build a 35-28 halftime lead, holding Florida without a point for more than five minutes. The Volunteers twice led by as many as 10 points but Wilbekin, who led all scorers with 13 points in the opening 20 minutes, sliced the lead to single digits with his third 3-pointer of the half just before the buzzer.
The Volunteers, who had five turnovers in the first half, had five in the first six minutes as the Gators opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 38-37 lead. McRae's 3-pointer tied it at 49 with 2:48 remaining, but Young's jumper on the ensuing possession triggered a game-ending 7-0 run by Florida, which forced 11 second half turnovers and held the Volunteers to 14 points after intermission.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Prather's layup that gave Florida a 2-0 lead to start the game marked the first time in more than 201 minutes that Tennessee had trailed in a game. ... The Volunteers had a streak of four consecutive games of allowing an opponent to score 20 or less points in the first half snapped when the Gators put up 28. ... Tennessee has not won an SEC tournament since 1979.
Top Game Performances
Tennessee |
|
Florida |
Jordan McRae 15 |
Scoring |
Patric Young 16 |
Antonio Barton 3 |
Assists |
Casey Prather 5 |
Jeronne Maymon 9 |
Rebounds |
Patric Young 8 |
Jarnell Stokes 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Patric Young 4 |
Antonio Barton 2 |
Steals |
Michael Frazier II 4 |
Jordan McRae 2 |
Blocks |
DeVon Walker 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Tennessee
|
49 |
41.3 |
2-13 |
9-11 |
7 |
28 |
4 |
7 |
16 |
Florida
|
56 |
47.7 |
4-11 |
10-17 |
7 |
22 |
1 |
9 |
13 |