NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Barry Stewart scored 17 points and hit five late free throws as Mississippi State held on to defeat Florida 75-69 in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals on Friday night.
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Mississippi State (22-9) held a 58-39 lead with 13:29 left when it fell into a six-minute scoring drought.
The Gators (21-12) took advantage with a 14-0 run. A 3-pointer by Erving Walker and a free throw by Chandler Parsons cut Mississippi State's lead to 58-53 with 8:17 left.
Kenny Boynton hit a jump shot over Jarvis Varnado's head to cut Mississippi State's lead to 71-68 with 27 seconds left, but Stewart hit 5 of 6 free throw attempts down the stretch to preserve the win.
Boynton led Florida with 23 points.
