At the Buzzer: Vanderbilt 71, Florida 68 (Instant Breakdown)

AT THE BUZZER
SCORE VANDERBILT 71, FLORIDA 68

WHAT HAPPENED: For the second time in three days, the Gators built a double-digit lead in the second half, only to see it evaporate for another gut-punch defeat. Guard Riley LaChance, a vaunted UF-killer, made a driving layup for the lead with 1:46 to play after Florida surrendered an offensive rebound off a rare missed Commodores free throw, and Vandy never trailed again. The Gators led 47-36 with less than 13 minutes remaining when Commodores forward Jeff Roberson (26 points, 7 rebounds) and LaChance (21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) began mounting the comeback. A couple 3-pointers by Egor Koulechov (14 points, 7 rebounds) pushed UF's lead back to nine inside eight minutes, but Vandy nailed three 3s over the next two-plus minutes to tie the game. The Gators led by two after KeVaughn Allen's driving lefty layup at the 2:24 mark, but a free throw by LaChance, his go-ahead layup and two free throws with 12.1 seconds to go by Joe Toye were the only points scored the rest of the way. Florida had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but 3-point tries by both Koulechov and Allen bounced away.

WHAT IT MEANS: A second straight loss, a fifth in the last seven games, and another blown opportunity by Florida to pad the "W" column and boost its postseason profile. The Gators are running out of chances, and now things look downright depressing, given what lies ahead (see below).

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Vanderbilt's free-throw shooting. The Commodores went 22 of 24 from the line (92 percent), including 15-for-16 in the second half, while Florida for the game was 7-for-11 and just 1-for-3 in the second half. Roberson was a perfect 12-for-12 for the game.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: That's now five times this season, the Gators have blown double-digit leads after halftime. The others: Duke, Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia on Wednesday night at home.

UP NEXT: It only gets harder now for the Gators (17-10, 8-6), who begin a brutal stretch of four games to close the regular season starting with this Wednesday night's date at No. 18 Tennessee (19-6, 9-4), which is on the road at Georgia later Saturday. After that, UF is home against No. 10 Auburn, at Alabama, and wraps the regular season at home against Kentucky.

Gators Calendar

At the Buzzer: Vanderbilt 71, Florida 68 (Instant Breakdown)

Players Mentioned

KeVaughn Allen

Egor Koulechov

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