At the Buzzer : Clemson 71, Florida 69 (Instant Analysis)
Saturday, December 16, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators shooting hands went cold in crunch time and the Tigers made UF pay.
CLEMSON 71, No. 22 FLORIDA 69
WHAT HAPPENED: Up by nine with five minutes to play, the No. 22 Gators went icy down the stretch, missing nine of their last 10 shots, while the Tigers hit field goals and made free throws to come away with a come-from-behind victory in the Orange Bowl Classic at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Florida led by one after a steal and layup by Chris Chiozza with 1:26 to go. The Gators answered that score with a defensive stop and possession with just under a minute left. On the ensuing possession, though, UF let the shot clock bleed down and KeVaughn Allen's desperation 3-pointer was an airball caught by guard Marcquise Reed and airmailed down the court for a go-ahead dunk by Elijah Thomas with 36 seconds left. Allen misfired again on UF's next turn and Reed hit two free throws with 4.4 seconds left. Clemson fouled Jalen Hudson, who made the first of two free throws and intentionally missed the second, but the Tigers gathered the rebound and closed the game.
WHAT IT MEANS: The first loss for the Gators in the event since falling to Richmond in 2009. In the bigger picture, a fourth defeat over the last five games and more angst for Coach Mike White, as he tries to figure out how to get the most out of an undersized team that has fallen completely out of sorts since opening the season with five straight wins and a bunch of points.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Reed and guard Gabe DeVoe came in averaging 13.9 points and 10.5, respectively. Combined, they lit up the Gators for 41 points, hitting 12 of their 19 shots, including four of eight from the 3-point line. UF got a game-high 23 points from Hudson, but he was just 5-for-9 from the free-throw line.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida was hit with its seventh team foul of the second half at the 14:44 mark. At the time, Clemson had been called for just one. The Tigers took advantage of the imbalance with hard drives into the lane and got to the free-throw line 24 times in the second period, compared to just six times for the Gators. For the game, Clemson went 20-for-30 from the stripe to Florida's 9-for-17. The Gators came in shooting 77 percent from the line on the season.
UP NEXT: The Gators (6-4) are home next week for the final two non-league games before the Southeastern Conference season tips off after a brief break for the Christmas holidays. UF will face James Madison (3-8) on Wednesday night, then Incarnate Word (4-3) on Friday. After three days off, the Gators will come back and start preparations for the SEC opener, also at home, against Vanderbilt on Dec. 30.
