Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith had 20 points and 13 rebounds to help Florida hold on for a dramatic 81-78 victory over visiting Mississippi State on Tuesday at the Stephen O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.

Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen scored 19 points for the Gators (12-6, 4-2 Southeastern Conference). Sophomore center John Egbunu had 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Devin Robinson added 11 points.

Junior guard I.J. Ready scored 20 points for the Bulldogs (7-10, 0-5). Senior guard Craig Sword had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Florida led 32-24 with a little more than five minutes to play in the opening period. Mississippi State closed the half with an 18-5 run and took a 42-37 lead when senior guard Fred Thomas made a 3-pointer one second prior to intermission.

The Bulldogs went up 56-45 early in the second half. The Gators responded with a 13-2 run to tie the game on two free throws by Allen and a subsequent 11-0 run gave Florida a 69-61 lead.

Mississippi State rallied to go ahead 76-75 on a layup by Ready, but the Gators made six free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.