Nov. 17, 2005

NEW YORK (AP) - Sophomore Taurean Green almost doubled his career high with 23 points and Florida beat No. 19 Wake Forest 77-72 on Thursday night in the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic.

The Gators (3-0) advanced to Friday's championship game against the winner of the semifinal between No. 16 Syracuse and Texas Tech.

Green, whose previous best was 13 points as a freshman against Providence, hit a 3-pointer in the 8-1 run that gave Florida a 72-62 lead with 2:06 to play. His long jumper was the Gators' first field goal in a 5:36 span but Wake Forest had its own shooting slump at the same time.

Eric Williams scored down low for Wake Forest (2-1) with 1:49 left to make it 72-64. It was the Demon Deacons' first field goal in 5:54. What made it worse for them was that during the drought from the field they also missed four free throws, including the front end of two 1-and-1s.

Justin Gray hit two 3s in the final 25 seconds for Wake Forest, but Florida went 3-for-5 from the free throw line in that span. The Gators came up empty in just two of their final eight possessions.

Green, who had five assists and three steals, was 4-for-8 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

Corey Brewer, who led the Gators in scoring in their two wins, had 15 points and Al Horford added 11.

Williams led Wake Forest with 20 points, while Gray had 19 and Trent Strickland 18. The Demon Deacons shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57), well off the 62.1 percent they shot in their first two games, and committed 22 turnovers, seven by Gray.

The loss ended a three-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden for Wake Forest, including the semifinals and finals of last year's Preseason NIT.