ST. LOUIS -- Jaylen Barford scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to help Arkansas hold off South Carolina for a 69-64 win in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday night.

The win is the seventh in the last nine games for the sixth-seeded Razorbacks (22-10), who advance to face No. 3 seed Florida on Friday night.

Barford, a first-team All-SEC selection, was 6-of-11 from the field and had a key 3-pointer and fast-break layup in the closing minutes. Daryl Macon added 12 points for Arkansas, hitting 8-of-8 free throws, including two in the final minute that helped seal the win.

Chris Silva had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the No. 11 seed Gamecocks (17-16), who advanced to the second round with a win over Mississippi on Wednesday night. Maik Kotsar also scored 15 points, and Frank Booker added 11.

Arkansas led 36-28 at halftime thanks to its performance at the free throw line, where it hit 14-of-15 in the half. The Razorbacks entered the game 12th in the SEC in free-throw percentage (67 percent), but they continued to shoot the ball well from the line in the second half, finishing 23-of-26 (88.5 percent) overall in the win.

UP NEXT: Arkansas plays No. 3 seed Florida in the quarterfinals on SEC Network after the conclusion of Game 9 between No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 7 seed Mississippi State.