Florida wears down Tennessee 56-49 in SEC semis

Florida wears down Tennessee 56-49 in SEC semis

Published Mar. 15, 2014 3:25 p.m. ET

ATLANTA (AP) Patric Young scored 16 points and No. 1 Florida turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, rallying for a 56-49 victory over Tennessee in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament Saturday.

Florida (31-2) extended its school-record winning streak to 25 in a row after trailing by 10 in the first half. The Gators were down 35-28 at the break, but they wore down the Volunteers (21-12) over the final 20 minutes. After shooting 54 percent in the opening period, Tennessee made just 5-of-20 shots and turned the ball over 11 times, leaving its fate in the hands of the NCAA selection committee.

The Gators, improving to 20-0 against SEC opponents, will face Kentucky or Georgia in the championship game Sunday.

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Florida's Scottie Wilbekin added 14 points and Casey Prather had 12.

Jordan McRae led Tennessee with 15 points, while Jarnell Stokes had 13 points and seven rebounds

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