Kentucky 72, Arkansas 57

March 1, 2007

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) -- Jennifer Humphrey led a balanced attack with 21 points and Kentucky opened the second half with a 15-2 run to beat Arkansas 72-57 on Thursday in the first round of the SEC tournament.

Humphrey added 19 rebounds and eight assists, finishing two assists away from a triple-double.

Kentucky (18-12), hoping to improve its NCAA tournament chances with a strong showing in the Southeastern Conference tournament, will play Georgia Friday in a quarterfinal game. Georgia, the No. 2 seed, beat Kentucky 82-72 in overtime on Feb. 15 in Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky beat Arkansas 87-60 on Feb. 18 as Carly Ormerod set a career high with 23 points.

Ormerod scored only five points in the tournament rematch, but 6-foot-6 center Sarah Elliott had 17 points and Jenny Pfeiffer had 11 to join Humphrey in double figures.

Arkansas (18-13) closed the season with 10 straight losses. The Lady Razorbacks were 3-11 in SEC regular-season games.

Dominique Washington led Arkansas with 18 points. Lauren Ervin had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Brittney Vaughn added 11 points.

Humphrey, a 6-foot-3 senior forward who averages 8.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. She finished one rebound shy of matching her career high of 20 against Auburn on Jan. 21.

Pfeiffer sank two 3-pointers as the Wildcats overcame a slow start to lead 35-28 at halftime.

Kentucky's big lead of the half was 11 points at 35-24, following a 9-0 run.

Samantha Mahoney scored 6 points in the 15-2 run to open the second half, giving Kentucky a 50-30 lead. The Wildcats' big lead was 22 points.

Florida 69, Mississippi State 63

By CHARLES ODUM, AP Sports Writer
March 1, 2007

Mississippi State's Marneshia Richard, left, puts up a shot over Florida's Marshae Dotson, right, during the first half in the SEC women's basketball tournament Thursday, March 1, 2007, in Duluth, Ga.
AP - Mar 1, 10:41 pm EST
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DULUTH, Ga. (AP) -- Marshae Dotson scored 25 points and No. 11 seed Florida claimed the first upset win of the SEC tournament by beating No. 6 seed Mississippi State 69-63 on Thursday night.

The victory extended Carolyn Peck final season as Florida's coach. Peck was fired on Feb. 12, one day after the Gators' 13th straight loss -- a 79-74 home loss to Mississippi State. Peck remained with the team as it won two of its last three regular-season games in the Southeastern Conference.

Sha Brooks added 16 points as Florida beat Mississippi State in the first round of the tournament for the second straight year.

Marneshia Richard scored all of her 18 points in the second half, including two 3-pointers and another basket in the final minute. Richard's second 3 cut Florida's lead to 64-60 with 34 seconds left, but the Gators protected the lead with strong free-throw shooting down the stretch.

Overall, Florida made 27 of 31 free throws. Mississippi State was only 7 of 12 from the line.

Florida (9-21) will play No. 3 seed Vanderbilt in a quarterfinal game Friday.

Mississippi State (17-13) lost for the third time in four games, possibly ending the Lady Bulldogs' NCAA tournament hopes.

Imesia Jackson scored 12 points for Mississippi State. Tysheka Grimes added 11.

There were eight lead changes in the first half. Mississippi State shot only 33.3 percent from the field but led 30-29 at halftime by holding Florida to 30-percent shooting.

Florida was held without a field goal for the first 7:35 of the second half. A 3-pointer by Alexis Rack gave Mississippi State a 39-31 lead before Dotson finally scored the Gators' first field goal of the half.

Dotson helped swing the momentum back to Florida, adding two more baskets and a free throw in the next 2 minutes.

A three-point play by Brooks with 8:21 left gave Florida its first lead of the half at 44-43.

Strong free-throw shooting and a basket by Briana Phillips helped Florida stretch the lead to seven points at 56-49 with 2 minutes left.