Men's Hoops Falls to UGA, 76-62
ATHENS, Ga. – Despite a 28-point performance from sophomore standout Matt Walsh, the Gators were unable to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs, as they fell 76-62 Tuesday night at the Stegeman Coliseum.
Walsh had his third consecutive 20-point game, as he shot 9-of-13 from the field and sank 7-of-8 free throws.
Florida (14-8, 5-6 SEC) maintained a steady lead in the second half until Georgia's Rashad Wright drained a three-pointer to give UGA a one-point advantage with 12:20 remaining. Florida was unable to recover as Georgia made 12-of-14 free throws and a layup in the final 1:27 of the game to seal the victory.
Florida's highlights included a sparkling performance at the line, as they shot 82.7 percent from the charity stripe (14-of-17). The Gators canned eight treys, their sixth consecutive game with eight-plus three-pointers. Florida also was successful on the offensive glass, as they out-rebounded UGA11-5.
The Gators were up 42-35 in the second half before Georgia went on a 10-0 run to take the lead 45-42. Freshman Mohamed Abukar's three-pointer tied the game 45-45 with less than 11 minutes remaining. Georgia then put together a 10-2 run, but Florida fought back. Walsh sank a three-pointer from downtown to pull the Gators within three, 53-50, with 5:25 left on the clock. Georgia increased its lead by 8 points (62-54) with 1:43 remaining.
In the first half, junior David Lee put the Gators on the board first with a slam dunk, which was his 100th of his career. The Gators were down by as much as 11 points before freshman Lee Humphrey sparked a 13-2 run when he sank a three-pointer midway through the first half. Sophomore Adrian Moss completed a three-point play to put the Gators within two, 22-20, with 7:54 remaining in the first half. Georgia picked up its seventh foul, sending Moss to the line for the one-and-one. Moss picked up two points to tie the game, 22-22, with less than seven minutes remaining. Back-to-back baskets by Walsh put the Gators up 28-25 with less than four left in the first half. Florida closed out the half on a 10-4 run to lead 34-29 heading into the locker room.
Lee was the only other Gator in double figures, as he scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 3-of-4 from the line.
The Gators travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on the Ole Miss Rebels Feb. 21 at 8 p.m.
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