Florida Gators
South Carolina
Gator M. Hoops Wins 66-65 Over South Carolina
Sunday, February 27, 2005 | Men's Basketball
The University of Florida men's basketball team came back from a 17-point deficit on Sunday afternoon to defeat Southeastern Conference rival South Carolina by one point, 66-65.
With 15 seconds remaining in regulation, senior forward David Lee snatched an offensive rebound and hit the game-winning jumper with 13 seconds remaining in play. UF's win is its 10th in Southeastern Conference play this year, moving the Gators to 18-7 overall, including a mark of 10-4 in conference action.
USC starting guard Tre' Kelley had a chance to win the game for the Gamecocks in the final seconds, but missed his three-point attempt and the Gators grabbed the defensive rebound to end the game. Kelley ended the game 3 of 5 from the three-point arc. He also poured in 17 points for the Gamecocks and dished out five assists. Forward Carlos Powell netted a game-high 18 points for the Gamecocks.
The win over the Gamecocks marks the largest comeback under head coach Billy Donovan's career. The team bounced back after a 17-point deficit early in the second half to defeat the Gamecocks. The USC 10-point lead at half time was also the biggest half-time deficit UF has overcome under Donovan.
The Gators ended the first half 11-of-29 from the floor for a 37.9 shooting percentage, compared with South Carolina's 48.4 percent. Florida finished the game with a 36.5 field goal percentage, well below USC's 46.4 percent at the end of the game. But the Gators accounted for the shooting difference by connecting on 12-of-14 shots from the free-throw line. Two Gators ended the night perfect from the charity stripe, while three Gators ended the game in double-digit scoring.
Leading the way for UF, junior guard Anthony Roberson scored 17 points and added two assists, while Lee finished the contest with 13 points and 14 rebounds, nine of which were defensive. Lee also had two assists and three blocks to help Florida on both ends of the court.
Junior Matt Walsh was UF's final double-digit scorer, as the guard poured in 11 points. Walsh was also 2-for-2 from the free throw, and ended the game with six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Perfect from the charity stripe was starting freshman Al Horford as he connected on all four chances. Horford finished the game with eight rebounds and six points for UF. Freshman Corey Brewer scored seven points for UF and collected four rebounds to add to Florida's total rebound tally of 40.
The Gators will return to action on Wednesday, March 2, as the team travels to Athens, Ga., to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.
