Macklin Leads Gators Past Mississippi State, 69-62
Saturday, February 6, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Redshirt junior Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) scored a career-high 20 points to lead Florida to a 69-62 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Florida (17-6, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) snapped a two-game losing streak in the series. The Gators' last victory over the Bulldogs came Jan. 24, 2007.
Mississippi State (16-7, 4-4) has lost four of its last five games.
Junior Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) made a three-pointer with 7:15 to play in the game to cap a 16-4 Florida run and give the Gators a 10 point lead.
Florida had a 12-point lead with 2:38 to play, but struggled to close out the game.
The Bulldogs scored seven unanswered points to cut the lead to 61-56. Johnson and Barry Stewart each hit 3-pointers in the final minute, cutting Florida's lead to 66-62 with 22.4 seconds to play.
Parsons and sophomore Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) combined to hit three free throws to close out the final seconds.
Parsons finished with his third double-double of the season scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He also had six assists in the game.
Ravern Johnson finished with 20 points and Jarvis Varnado added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Mississippi State.
Florida travels to South Carolina on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. tip against the Gamecocks. Parsons hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give Florida a 58-56 win over USC in Gainesville on Jan. 23.
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