Florida Gators
Tennessee
M. Hoops Fall To Tennessee 80-76; Win Streak Ends At 17
Sunday, January 22, 2006 | Men's Basketball
No. 2 Florida fell short in its bid for an 18th consecutive win, falling to SEC rival Tennessee 80-76 in front of over 24,000 at the Thompson-Boling Arena.
Florida (17-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) led by as much as eight throughout the game, but the Volunteers (12-3, 3-1) refused to go away.
The final 9 1/2 minutes were tight and got tighter as the clock wound down. Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) tied the game at 76 for Florida with 45 seconds remaining on two foul shots.
In a key play, Tennessee's Chris Lofton missed a three-pointer at the other end of the floor, where Brewer gathered the rebound. Brewer quickly broke up the court, however, Instead of taking the ball strong to the basket he opted to pass, which Lofton intercepted.
With the clock still running, Lofton alertly threw a long pass over the Gator defense to Dane Bradshaw, who was wide open for the game-winning layup with 20 seconds left.
Florida's Lee Humphrey (Maryville, Tenn.) then missed a three-pointer with six seconds left, and Lofton was fouled. Lofton sank both foul shots to seal it for Tennessee.
Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) fired a long three in desperation at the end, but Tennessee got the rebound. As the buzzer sounded, Tennessee students stormed the court, hugging the players. Green finished the game with 17 points and led the team with six assists.
Brewer led the Gators in scoring with 20 points despite hurting his right ankle in the first half. Brewer returned later in the half and sank a 17-foot basket on his first attempt after the injury. Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) and Al Horford (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) each scored 11 points.
Lofton scored 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor, and Andre Patterson added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Tennessee won the game despite Florida shooting 52-percent from the field. The Volunteers more than made up for it at the free throw line where they converted on 17-of-23 shots.
Florida will travel to Columbia, S.C. on Wednesday night to face the Gamecocks in a Southeastern Conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET)
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