Florida pulls away for 80-65 win over Hogs

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Nick Calathes had 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and Florida used a barrage of 3-pointers in the second half to beat Arkansas 80-65 Saturday and extend its winning streak to 10 games.

Calathes made four 3-pointers in the second half and finished 6-of-10 from behind the arc, clearly the difference for the Gators (16-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference).

The Razorbacks (12-4, 0-3) had their way with Florida in the post. Michael Washington finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, and Arkansas ended up with 36 points in the paint.

But Florida made up for it from long range. The Gators were 3-of-17 from 3-point range in the first half and led 37-34 at the break. They were 8-of-13 in the second half, opening a 17-point lead and spoiling Arkansas coach and former Florida assistant John Pelphrey’s return to Gainesville.

The Razorbacks were down 10-2 early, but took a 20-13 lead on a Courtney Fortson layup. Florida moved in front by six before settling for the three-point halftime lead.

In the second half, Arkansas trailed 71-54. A 9-2 run, including four points by Marcus Monk, pulled the Hogs within 73-65 with 4:13 remaining, but Florida responded with a three and the Razorbacks did not score the rest of the way.

Arkansas is off on Wednesday before playing host to Auburn on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. in a game televised by Raycom Sports.