Florida Gators
Alabama
Gator Men's Hoops Beats Bama To Advance To SEC Title Game
Sunday, March 13, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Florida will take another shot at an SEC tournament title.
David Lee scored 20 points, Matt Walsh hit six free throws in the final 17 seconds and the Gators held on for a 68-62 victory over No. 20 Alabama on Saturday to make the Southeastern Conference championship game for the second straight year.
They'll try to win their first SEC Tournament title on Sunday against Kentucky, which won a 79-78 overtime thriller against LSU in the late game on Saturday. Florida is making its first back-to-back appearance in the title game and only its fifth appearance ever (1939, 1989, 1994, 2004, 2005).
The Gators (22-7) took a 58-51 lead on Walsh's long 3-pointer. Alabama (24-7) twice cut the deficit to three points after that, but Lee had a fastbreak layup off a pass from Corey Brewer and another drive to the basket in the final minute.
Kennedy Winston's basket in the lane made it 62-59 with 18 seconds left, giving the Crimson Tide one last shot. But Walsh clinched the win with a 6-for-6 finish from the line.
He finished with 17 points, Anthony Roberson had 13 and Brewer added 10 for Florida.
Winston had 19 points but like the rest of his teammates, was cold from 3-point range, going 1-for-8. The Tide made 13 3-pointers in the tournament opener against Mississippi but made just three this time in 19 tries.
Earnest Shelton tied a school record with eight 3s in the opener against Mississippi. Against Florida, he was 0-for-4 and managed just six points, with the Gators seldom giving the Tide open looks from the perimeter.
Florida's shooters started out hot, then the Gators started going inside to Lee after the outside shots stopped falling.
Lee Humphrey, Walsh and Roberson each hit a pair of 3s as Florida opened a 24-14 lead, then the team went cold. The Gators made just one field goal and scored three points over the next 12 minutes extending into the second half, allowing Alabama to tie it up.
The Tide managed to briefly take the lead, at 36-35, before the Gators pulled away.
Florida and Kentucky tip off at 1 p.m. on CBS.
Alabama Quotes
Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried
On the loss...
"This was a tough loss for us. Give Florida a lot of credit. They stepped up and made key plays at key times. We couldn't get baskets today. We are a good three-point shooting team, but we just couldn't find it today. I'm proud of how our guys played though."
On having an extra day to rest by losing in the semi-finals...
"We wanted to win. We wanted to win the game. We wanted to win the tournament. An extra day of rest is good. We would trade it any day of the week to be playing tomorrow in the championship game."
Alabama forward Kennedy Winston
On the loss...
"It was just one of those games. We are a good shooting team. We went 3-for-19 today (on three-point shooting) If we knocked those down, it would've been a different game."
Alabama forward Chuck Davis
On the team's attitude...
"We are fine. That loss is over. We are moving on. We are going to go home and get some rest and get ready for the tournament."
On guarding David Lee...
"He (David Lee) was making every shot. He was making big shots at big times in the game. We just couldn't get a stop."
Florida Quotes
Florida Head Coach Billy Donovan
Opening Statement...
"I personally felt like the game would go up and down more, but it turned out to be more of a halfcourt game. [Alabama] really hurt us on the backboard. The difference today, in my opinion, was free throws and offensive rebounds. I felt that down the stretch we made shots and got some stops. I'm very proud of the way our guys battled and fought."
On making the finals in consecutive years...
"I'm happy for our kids. [David Lee, Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh] have grown a lot as both players and people. Tomorrow, whether it's Kentucky or LSU, we're going to play against a physical team. It's exciting to be back at this point and we're confident heading into tomorrow."
Florida forward David Lee
On his offensive performance...
"They were going one-on-one in the post and I was trying to make strong moves, draw fouls and make shots."
Florida guard Matt Walsh
On making the finals in consecutive years...
"It's exciting. It's good for the University of Florida and a testament to how good our team is."
Game Notes:
- This was the second meeting ever between Florida and Alabama in the SEC Tournament semifinals ... In 1994 in Memphis, Florida downed Alabama 68-52 to advance to the title game (a 73-60 loss to Kentucky) ... The two teams met for the 1989 title in Knoxville with Alabama winning its first of three-straight crowns, 72-60.
- Alabama still has an 18-game edge in the series history (after today's UF win), but Florida has dominated of late, winning 11 of the last 12 meetings, including an 85-54 decision 2/5 in Gainesville.
- In the second game decided in a row in overtime in last year's quarterfinals, Lee Humphrey hit a 17-foot baseline jumper to catapult Florida to a 75-73 win over Alabama ... Florida trailed by as many as 13 points in the game in overcoming its largest deficit of the season ... Florida thought it had won in regulation on a Anthony Roberson trey, but officials ruled the horn sounded before Roberson released the ball, setting up Humphrey's heroics.
Alabama Notes:
- The 20 first-half points by Alabama were the lowest for the Crimson Tide in any half this season ... The previous low was 23 set in the first half at Florida (2/5) and at Wisconsin (12/29) ... Alabama now has scored less than 30 points in the first half of the last three games after posting only five such games in its first 28 games.
- Alabama matched its first-half scoring total of 20 points with a Ronald Steele bucket at the 9:28 mark of the second half ... The Tide went on to score 42 points in the stanza.
- Kennedy Winston, held to just two points in the first half on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, knocked down 17 points in the second half (7-of-12 shooting) and had a game-high 19 points for the Crimson Tide.
- Alabama missed its first eight three pointers before making its first trey (Kennedy Winston 17:31) in the second half.
- Alabama finished 3-of-19 from three-point range, its worst shooting day of the season from downtown ... The previous low was 3-of-16 set twice at home (LSU 1/8; Georgia 1/30)
Florida Notes:
- Florida held Alabama to just 20 points in the first half, the fifth time the Gators have held a team to fewer than 20 points in a half this season.
- Florida, 12-of-24 from three-point range in Friday's win over Mississippi State, made six of its first nine three point shots against Alabama, but only 2-of-11 thereafter for a 8-of-20 showing from bonus land for the game.
- Junior guard Anthony Roberson has made his presence well known from the three-point arc in SEC Tournament play ... Roberson was 3-of-9 today, is 4-of-12 in this year's tourney, and now is 19-of-53 from bonus land in his SEC tourney history.
- David Lee scored 20 points (13 in the second half), a total just behind season-high 21-point performances vs. LSU (2/19) and Tennessee (2/12).
- Florida kept up his defensive prowess behind the three-point arc, holding Alabama to a season-worst 3-of-19 three point performance after limiting Mississippi State to just 9-of-25 (36%) shooting in Friday's quarterfinals ... UF opponents are 12-of-44 from long range thus far in the tourney.
- Florida extended its season-best winning streak to six with the win ... The six-straight wins are the most in a row for Florida since last year's team also won six straight from Dec. 20-Jan. 10.
- Florida continued its hot shooting from long range against Alabama this season ... The Gators were 8-of-20 today and were 9-of-21 in the 85-54 win over Alabama earlier this season ... Florida was 17-of-41 on treys combined against the Crimson Tide this season.
- Florida advances to the SEC Tournament title game for the fifth time in its history and for the first time ever in back-to-back seasons (lost to Kentucky in last year's title game, 89-73) ... Florida and South Carolina are the only current SEC members to have never won an SEC Tournament crown.
