Junior center Al Horford (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) and junior forward Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) each scored 17 points and the University of Florida men’s basketball team defeated Purdue, 74-67, on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The ninth-seeded Boilermakers kept the game close most of the way, but the top-seeded Gators made several clutch shots down the stretch to advance to the round of 16. Horford had three buckets in the final minutes, and Brewer hit a spinning jumper and then made six-consecutive free throws to seal Florida's 14th-consecutive postseason win.

The Gators (31-5) advanced to play fifth-seeded Butler in the Midwest Regional semifinals Friday in St. Louis.

Carl Landry led Purdue (22-12) with 18 points and 10 rebounds. David Teague and Chris Kramer added 14 each.

With the teams engaged in a tight contest, junior guard Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)  hit consecutive 3s to put the team ahead 43-38 with 12:35 remaining. Senior guard Lee Humphrey (Maryville, Tenn.) had another 3-pointer with about 6 minutes to play that put the Gators up by five.

Horford had three low-post baskets in the final 3 minutes and finished 7-of-9 from the floor. He added nine rebounds. Brewer was 8-for-8 from the free throw line and had eight rebounds, while junior forward Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) had nine points and nine boards.

- UF -