National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Tennessee 64, Florida 58
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Officials: # John Cahill, # Antinio Petty, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 19567

Tennessee 64, No. 6 Florida 58:
Jordan McRae had 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the host Volunteers improved their NCAA Tournament resume substantially with their sixth straight win.

Tennessee (17-10, 9-6 SEC) won the only regular-season meeting behind McRae and a grinding defense that held Florida (22-5, 12-3) to 4-of-17 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Gators cut the deficit to 58-54 on Scottie Wilbekin’s driving layup with 2:03 left. After a Tennessee miss, Kenny Boynton (1-of-7, 0-of-4 on 3-pointers) missed an open 3-pointer from the wing and the Volunteers' Jarnell Stokes all but sealed it with a putback three-point play.

The Gators, whose lead over Alabama shrunk to one game, failed to clinch a double-bye in the conference tournament despite Mike Rosario's 16 points. Florida has dropped seven of its last eight visits to Thompson-Boling Arena.

McRae scored 17 points in the first half, helping the Volunteers to a 35-32 lead at the break. Stokes finished with 14 rebounds and eight points.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Florida played without guard Michael Frazier II, who suffered a concussion in Saturday’s win over Arkansas. … The Volunteers are 13-3 in February under second-year coach Cuonzo Martin. … Under coach Billy Donovan, Florida is 16-18 against Tennessee.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Tennessee
Mike Rosario 16 Scoring Jordan McRae 27
Scottie Wilbekin 6 Assists Jordan McRae 4
Scottie Wilbekin 8 Rebounds Jarnell Stokes 14
Mike Rosario 3 Free Throws Made Jordan McRae 6
Mike Rosario 2 Steals Jordan McRae 2
Patric Young 1 Blocks Jordan McRae 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Florida 58 42.1 4-17 6-11 11 29 1 5 7
Tennessee 64 42.1 5-18 11-19 14 40 4 4 9