No. 20 Florida St. 81, Florida 78

11/23/2007 7:36 PM

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Tanae Davis-Cain scored 27 points, Shante Williams added 11 points and six assists and No. 20 Florida State beat Florida 81-78 on Friday night.

Davis-Cain was 10-of-20 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range, carrying the Seminoles (5-1) much of the game.

Williams and Jacinta Monroe took over down the stretch, though.

Monroe had two big baskets in a 9-0 run that turned a 65-64 advantage into a double-digit lead with about 3 minutes to play.

The Gators (3-2) sliced into the lead on Sha Brooks' 3-pointer, followed a short time later by Marshae Dotson's two layups.

Florida trimmed it to 78-76 with 41.5 seconds to play, but Williams answered with a driving layup. She put her finger over her lips to silence the crowd after her key bucket.

Williams and Mara Freshour each made a free throw in the final seconds, but the misses gave the Gators a chance to tie. Depree Bowden's 30-footer at the buzzer, however, hit the side of the backboard.

The Seminoles finished just 11-of-22 from the free-throw line.

Dotson led Florida with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Bowden had 17, and Brooks finished with 13.

The Gators were 8-of-17 from 3-point range, helping offset 23 turnovers and the 17 offensive rebounds they allowed.