Florida Gators
Auburn
Head Coach Billy Donovan Earns 300th Victory at UF With 68-65 Win Over Auburn
Thursday, January 15, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Gator sophomore Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) led Florida to a 68-65 victory over Auburn Wednesday with his third double-double of the season. Tyus scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Florida moved to 15-2 overall (2-0 SEC) this season. UF head coach Billy Donovan secured his 300th victory at UF, the first Florida coach to accomplish the feat, after serving the Tigers (10-6, 0-2 SEC) their sixth loss of the season.
After the Gators held a 40-34 advantage at the half, the Tigers climbed back to tie the game 48-48 with 9:34 left in the game. After UF and Auburn switched points, freshman Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit two treys in a row that would give the Orange and Blue momentum the last nine minutes.
Another three-pointer by senior Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) and free throws by junior Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.), sophomore Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.), Tyus and Walker sealed the deal. Calathes hit 3-of-4 from the charity stripe in the final 19 seconds to overcome the late Auburn surge.
Calathes additionally led the Gators in scoring with 17 points and crashed the boards for nine rebounds, one shy of his season high. Walker finished the night with nine points, while Hodge chipped in five and Werner contributed six. Freshman Kenny Kadji (Douala, Cameroon) was the third and final Gator in double-digits, scoring 11 points and grabbing a career-high eight rebounds.
Rasheem Barrett led the Tigers with 15 points, including nine in a row, giving Auburn its first lead midway through the second half.
Florida will be back in action Saturday when it hosts Arkansas for the third SEC match-up of the season. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. from the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and the game will be broadcast live by Raycom Sports.
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