Florida Gators
Auburn
UF goes down to the wire to beat Auburn 65-63
Thursday, January 25, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Florida got a big boost when senior forward Brent Wright returned to action, 20 days after having foot surgery. He played 13 minutes and scored five points and made one of the biggest shots in the second half, a three- pointer that gave the Gators a 61-55 lead with less than three minutes to play.
Head coach Billy Donovan said Wright's return was huge for the Gators. "There's a calmness on the team when he's on the floor," said Donovan in his postgame radio interview. "He's 6'9 and can handle and pass. Just his ability to flash to the middle of the floor against the press when our guards are trapped, to get the basketball, to drive it into the lane, Matt Bonner is wide open for a three-point shot, those are the type of plays we've been missing in our SEC games."
The Gators trailed 28-24 at the half. Auburn stretched the lead to 36-29 in the second half before Nelson caught fire. He made five straight three- point shots putting the Gators up 46-42 with about eight minutes to go. Up by only 63-61, freshman Orien Green made two free throws to put the Gators up 65-61 with 52 seconds left.
Donovan said another key was that junior center Udonis Haslem took over the game in the second half. "Coming down the stretch in the second half, and diving on loose balls, to calling time outs, to the hustle plays, to the scoring, he was an absolute man up front tonight."
Each of Florida's five SEC games has come down to the final play.
The Gators improved to 12-4 overall and 2-3 in the SEC. Auburn's record is now 12-7 and 2-4 in league play. The Gators will host South Carolina Saturday January 27th at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville at 3:00 p.m. eastern.
