Florida Gators
LSU
Florida Edged, 81-75, by No. 18 LSU
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | Men's Basketball
After leading at the half, the Gators lost a close game to No. 18 LSU, 81-75, Tuesday from the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge. Senior Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) led Florida with 16 points, hitting two treys in the last 14 seconds of regulation, as UF moved to 21-7 overall, 8-5 in SEC play.
Three other Gators scored in double digits, including sophomore Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) with 15 points, and sophomores Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) and Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.), with 12 points each.
Florida took a 41-37 advantage into the locker room at the half, but allowed LSU to work itself back into the lead midway through the second half. The Tigers trailed 56-53 before going on a 14-2 run to take control of the game. LSU's Marcus Thornton hit 6-of-11 from behind the arc to lead the charge for the Tigers, contributing 32 points.
LSU hit 49.1 percent from the field, compared to Florida's 43.3, and also hit 18-of-21 free throws (85.7 percent). With the win, LSU clinched a share of the regular season Southeastern Conference championship, moving to 24-4 overall, 12-1 in conference play.
Calathes led the Gators on the boards with seven rebounds and also dished out a team-leading six assists on the night. Junior Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.) and Tyus each grabbed six rebounds.
Florida returns to the friendly confines of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Sunday, March 1, for a CBS match-up with Tennessee at 2 p.m.
-UF-
