Second-Half Shooting Spree Surges Gators Past Vols

Saturday, January 7

Gainesville, FL

5:15 PM

Florida Gators

Tennessee

Sophomore guard KeVauhn Allen lets fly one of his four 3-pointers in the second half. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Second-Half Shooting Spree Surges Gators Past Vols

Saturday, January 7, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

Box Score

UF shot 67 percent, including 7-for-8 from the 3-point line, in the second half Saturday.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators won a game Saturday that in all likelihood they would have lost last season.

Tennessee came out as the aggressor at the sold-out and blacked-out Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. The Volunteers played tight defense, knocked balls away from dribbling UF players, were faster to the 50-50 balls, clogged the passing lanes and made shots to take a lead into the locker room at halftime.

"They were winning the hustle game," Florida sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen said. "We just had to play harder."

Sounds so simple, doesn't it? As it turned out, they did play harder. Much harder. And if that's the formula to executing a near-perfect 20 minutes like the home team put together in the second half, someone at UF needs to bottle in and put it in an orange-and-blue jar for use at another time.

The 24th-ranked Gators shot 67 percent in the second half, making seven of eight from beyond the 3-point line, to surge past and pull away from the Vols for an 83-70 victory, their fifth straight win, and remain unbeaten in Southeastern Conference play before 10,843 at the O'Dome. Allen scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime, mostly on a quartet of dagger 3-balls that came at opportune times. Senior forward Justin Leon had a career-high 19 points, with a trio of 3-balls, to go with six rebounds, while senior wing Canyon Barry came off the bench to drop in 15 points.

"We weren't playing our basketball," Leon said of the first 20 minutes that had UF down 33-32 at the break. "With it being a new half, we just kind of reset ourselves and did what we were supposed to do."

Taking better care of the basketball was a good place start.

In the first half, the Gators (12-3, 3-0) turned the ball over nine times, leading to 15 points. The Vols (8-7, 1-2) had a 12-2 edge in fast-break points and shot 48.3 percent from the floor, compared to UF's 36.4, as the Gators repeatedly settled for 3-point shots, several of which looked hurried or forced, in going 2-for-12 from deep.

The game had something of a home-game version feel of last season's lone Tennessee date, when UF went to Knoxville and got knocked out by higher-energy and tougher opponent.

"We almost had that deer-in-the-headlights look at times," Florida coach Mike White said. "Credit [the Tennessee] defense. It had a lot to do with the physicality and aggressiveness they played with."

The halftime discussion in the UF locker room focused on matching that physicality and aggressiveness, something that did not happen a year ago.

So naturally, the Gators started the second half by surrendering a pair of 3-pointers to guard Jordan Bowden (15 points), with a turnover at their end sandwiched in between. Frankly, that's been UF's early second-half pattern this season. Start slow, steady up.

Florida trailed 45-44 when Leon dropped a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the Gators in front. On UT's next possession, a steal by senior point point guard Kasey Hill (7 points, 7 assists, 2 turnovers) ended at the other end with fast-break dunk by trailing center John Egbunu that brought the house down. The Gators never trailed again.

Senior forward Justin Leon lets out a shout after nailing a 3 in the second half against Tennessee.

UF flip-flopped those turnovers and points-off numbers in the second half. The Gators committed just two versus the Vols' nine and outscored them off those miscues 16-0. Had UT just cut those giveaways in half, its 52-percent shooting in the second period (including 5-for-9 from 3) certainly would have kept the Vols in striking distance.

"Look at that," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said, shaking his head at the turnover column at the box score before him. "We shoot 50 percent against a good team, but just look at the turnover numbers — 19 — and that negates it."

Now roll in that Florida went a sterling 16-for-24 from the floor and missed just one of eight 3-point shots, with Allen bombing in all four of his attempts in the final 7 1/2 minutes. UF led just 60-59 when Allen accounted for all the points in a 9-4 run to open up a 69-63 margin.

"We just calmed ourselves down," Leon said. "That's one thing Coach emphasizes; not being so quick to do something or trying to make the home-run play."

Maybe so, but Allen (who also had four steals in the game) certainly hit a couple out of the park, metaphorically speaking. His third 3-pointer in that quick-strike spree came off a ball-screen, with Allen literally catching the pass and squaring toward the rim while in the air and skying one over a UT defender. Swish.

"We used to beg him to shoot, but we haven't done that in a while," White said of Allen, who is now is hitting 51 percent from the floor and 53 from the arc over his last seven games. "It's nice."

The Gators incrementally took the margin out as clock wound down, with Allen bombing in another trey, for good meaure, with 1:10 to go.

"We came out flat-footed a little bit and, obviously, we weren't playing our best basketball, what with too many turnovers, uncharacteristic offensive flow and some lackadaisical plays," Barry said. "But in the second half, we were locked in."

And loaded.

Again: 68 percent from the floor, 87.5 percent from the 3-point line and just two turnovers in the second half. How much better can a team be?