Florida Gators
Kentucky
Florida Falls Short, 68-65, at Kentucky
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Gator sophomore Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) tallied a career-high 33 points, but Florida fell shy to Kentucky, 68-65, in a game that was decided in the final seconds of the contest Tuesday evening in Rupp Arena.
Tied at 65 all with five seconds left, Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks hit a trey that gave the Wildcats the three-point advantage. Calathes was unable to convert on three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt during Florida's next possession.
With the loss, the Gators move to 19-5 overall, 6-3 in league play, while the Wildcats improve to 17-7 (6-3 SEC), pulling into a tie with Florida atop the SEC East.
In addition to accounting for more than half of Florida's points in the game, hitting 10-of-20 from the field and 11-of-15 from the charity stripe, Calathes led UF on the glass, grabbing six defensive boards and one offensive rebound to tally seven against UK. Sophomore Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) was the only other Gator in double-digit scoring, chipping in 14 points. Tyus additionally blocked a career-tying three shots.
With his 33 point-game, Calathes joined the career 1,000-point club -- the eighth-fastest Gator to do so.
Florida continues its two-game road stand Feb. 14 when it visits Athens, Ga., for a match-up with the Georgia Bulldogs. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
-UF-
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