National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 81, Mississippi St. 78
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
Officials: # Tony Henderson, # Antonio Petty, # Doug Sirmons
Attendance: 8250

Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith had 20 points and 13 rebounds to help Florida hold on for a dramatic 81-78 victory over visiting Mississippi State on Tuesday at the Stephen O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.

Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen scored 19 points for the Gators (12-6, 4-2 Southeastern Conference). Sophomore center John Egbunu had 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Devin Robinson added 11 points.

Junior guard I.J. Ready scored 20 points for the Bulldogs (7-10, 0-5). Senior guard Craig Sword had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Florida led 32-24 with a little more than five minutes to play in the opening period. Mississippi State closed the half with an 18-5 run and took a 42-37 lead when senior guard Fred Thomas made a 3-pointer one second prior to intermission.

The Bulldogs went up 56-45 early in the second half. The Gators responded with a 13-2 run to tie the game on two free throws by Allen and a subsequent 11-0 run gave Florida a 69-61 lead.

Mississippi State rallied to go ahead 76-75 on a layup by Ready, but the Gators made six free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
Top Game Performances
 
Mississippi St.   Florida
I.J. Ready 20 Scoring Dorian Finney-Smith 20
Craig Sword 4 Assists Chris Chiozza 5
Craig Sword 6 Rebounds Dorian Finney-Smith 13
I.J. Ready 4 Free Throws Made John Egbunu 8
Craig Sword 3 Steals KeVaughn Allen 2
Gavin Ware 3 Blocks John Egbunu 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Mississippi St. 78 44.8 6-21 12-17 14 31 4 11 8
Florida 81 44.8 9-21 20-33 13 44 2 4 15