Florida dominated the boards to make it a one-and-done trip for Arkansas at the 2019 SEC Tournament.

The Razorbacks were out-rebounded by 15 and the Gators pulled away in the second half to cruise to a 66-50 win in Nashville, Tenn. With the loss, Arkansas will have to wait until Sunday to find out if its season will end at 17-15 or continue in the NIT.

For the first nine minutes, though, Arkansas controlled the pace and actually built an eight-point lead, but Florida slowed it down and started chipping away, aided by nine turnovers.

KeVaughn Allen, a North Little Rock native known for playing well against the Razorbacks, played a big role in the Gators getting back into the game. All 10 of his first-half points came in a four-minute stretch, including a seven-point spurt that pulled them within one.

It was actually a layup by Dontay Bassett with 4:32 left in the half that gave Florida the lead. Although it managed to tie the game twice after that, Arkansas never led again.

The Razorbacks kept it a two-possession game for the first 15 minutes of the second half, never trailing by more than six, but could never get enough stops to dig out of the hole.

Perhaps no sequence illustrated Arkansas’ issues more than a stretch early in the half when Florida used three offensive rebounds, a jump ball and a flagrant foul to keep maintain possession for a full minute and a half.

The Gators finished with 19 offensive rebounds, which was two more than Arkansas’ 17 defensive rebounds, and won the overall boards 41-26. That led to 18 second-chance points for Florida.

An offensive put back by Mason Jones with just under eight minutes remaining pulled Arkansas within three, but that proved to be Arkansas’ final field goal, as Florida ended the game on a 19-6 run.

Despite averaging only 4.5 points in his last four games, Allen finished with 17 points, giving him 128 in eight career games (16 ppg) against the Razorbacks. He scored in double figures in each game and won seven of those matchups.

However, it was Keyontae Johnson’s second career double-double that led the way for Florida. The freshman scored a season-high 20 points and had 12 rebounds.

In what could have been his final game in an Arkansas uniform, Daniel Gafford finished with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. He is expected to forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft.

The only other Arkansas player in double figures with Isaiah Joe, who scored nine of his 12 points in the first half.

The 32-team field for NIT will be revealed in a selection show at 7:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU.

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