GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Snapping out of a recent shooting slump, Florida guard and Arkansas native KeVaughn Allen was a thorn in the Razorbacks' side Wednesday night.
After scoring 17 points over the last five games combined, the North Little Rock graduate erupted for a season-high 28 points, connecting on 6 of 7 shots from behind the arc as Florida rolled to an 88-73 win over visiting Arkansas at the O'Connell Center.
The Razorbacks dropped to 12-6 overall and 2-4 in the Southeastern Conference, while Florida improved to 12-6 overall and 5-1 in conference.
Trailing by as much as 18 points in the first half, the Razorbacks made things interesting with a blistering start to the second period.
Senior guard Jaylen Barford opened the second half with a deep 3-pointer and freshman big man Daniel Gafford followed with a layup as the Razorbacks were within 48-38 in the first minute.
Florida guard Egor Koulechov knocked down a shot from behind the arc to push the lead back to 55-41, but Arkansas refused to back down.
A 3-pointer from Arkansas sophomore C.J. Jones trimmed the gap to single digits with 10:53 remaining, but Allen answered with a trey of his own and the Razorbacks got no closer.
Following a jumper by Barford, the Gators rode 13-4 run with 3-pointers from Allen, Koulechov and junior Jalen Hudson to take a commanding 82-63 lead with 3:16 remaining in the game.
Barford and Gafford combined for eight of the last 10 Razorback points, while Allen scored Florida's last two points from the foul line to set the final margin.
Arkansas flashed its range in the opening minutes as seniors Barford, Daryl Macon and Dustin Thomas each connected on 3-pointers to give the Razorbacks an early 11-10 lead.
After consecutive treys from Allen and senior guard Chris Chiozza, Hudson capped a 9-0 Florida run with two shots from the foul line as the Gators took a 22-15 advantage midway through the first half.
Barford's layup pulled the Razorbacks within 17-22 before Florida started to pull away. Allen and Hudson combined for nine points as the Gators stretched their lead to 31-19.
Barford continued to be a source of offense for Arkansas with seven straight points of his own, but Florida maintained a comfortable 43-27 advantage with less than five minutes to play in the first half.
Allen scored the last five Gator points to finish with a game-high 20 in the first half, while freshman Darious Hall flushed home a dunk in the final seconds to pull the Razorbacks within 48-33 at the break.
Barford tied Allen with a game-high 28 points, adding four rebounds and one steal. Gafford recorded a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, and Macon finished with 13 points, despite converting on just one of five attempts from behind the arc.
Hudson had 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Gators, while Koulechov scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Chiozza, junior Kevarrius Hayes and sophomore Keith Stone each finished with seven points for Florida.
Arkansas hosts Ole Miss (10-8, 3-3) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and travels to Georgia (12-5, 3-3) Tuesday night. Florida hosts No. 18 Kentucky (14-4, 4-2) Saturday night.
Sports on 01/18/2018