No. 16 Florida 74, Arkansas 71

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Posted 1:14AM on Saturday, March 11, 2006

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Lee Humphrey scored a career-high 25 points and No. 16 Florida beat Arkansas 74-71 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Gators (25-6) will play No. 17 LSU, the regular-season champion, in the semifinals Saturday. Florida, which won its first SEC tournament last year, lost 85-81 in overtime at Arkansas on Feb. 18. That win for the Razorbacks (22-9) started a six-game winning streak that included their first-round victory over Georgia. Humphrey had only six points in the first game against Arkansas, but he scored 16 points in the first half to help the Gators get off to a good start. When Humphrey cooled off in the second half, Taurean Green got hot. Green scored 14 of his 20 points after halftime. The guards combined for 10-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc. Al Horford added 11 points for Florida. Arkansas' guards couldn't match the productivity of Florida's backcourt. Ronnie Brewer, the SEC's leading scorer, finished with 18 points, but Arkansas made just six of 21 3-pointers. Charles Thomas added 17 and Jonathon Modica had 13 for the Razorbacks. Arkansas trailed by only five with 6:10 remaining, but the Gators had a quick 6-0 run highlighted by Corey Brewer's one-handed dunk that put it out of reach. Thomas hit a 3 with 12.9 seconds left to pull Arkansas to 72-69, but Humphrey made a pair of free throws at the other end. Florida went 6-of-6 from the foul line in final 32.8 seconds. The Gators put together a 9-0 run to take a 47-36 lead with 13:53 left. Green finished off the surge with a 3-pointer. Florida took the lead early in the first half and extended it with a 10-2 run started by Humphrey's consecutive 3s. Corey Brewer had a leaner in the lane to put the Gators up 25-15 with 8:46 left before halftime. (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)