Reggie Perry had 27 points and eight rebounds to help Mississippi State overcome a 10-point halftime deficit and earn a 78-71 Southeastern Conference victory against Florida on Tuesday night at Gainesville, Fla.

Robert Woodward II scored 16 points, Nick Weatherspoon had 13 and Tyson Carter added 12 for the Bulldogs (13-7, 4-3 SEC), who trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half.

Scottie Lewis scored 17 points and Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Gators (12-8, 4-3). Florida took a third consecutive loss following defeats at LSU and vs. No. 1 Baylor.

Mississippi State shot 60.9 percent (14 of 23) in the second half, while Florida shot 29.6 percent (8 of 27). The Gators missed all seven attempts from behind the arc during the final 20 minutes.

Carter scored seven consecutive points to turn a 58-56 deficit into a 63-58 Mississippi State advantage with 6:32 left.

Woodward fired in a 3-pointer to make it 73-66 with 2:23 on the clock. The Gators got no closer than five points the rest of the way.

Trailing 52-43, the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run to tie it with 11:19 to go. Woodward closed a fastbreak with a dunk and then nailed a jumper to cap the spurt.

The Gators shot 58.1 percent (18 of 31) to take a 45-35 halftime lead. Florida sank eight of 14 from 3-point range before the break.

Lewis scored 13 points and hit 5 of 6 from the floor, including 3 of 4 3-point attempts, to lead Florida's first-half attack.

The 6-foot-10 Perry scored 17 first-half points for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs shot 48.3 percent (14 of 29) on field-goal attempts in the first 20 minutes and 4 of 7 from 3-point range but committed seven turnovers.

--Field Level Media