Florida Gators
Tennessee
Florida Falls at Home to Tennessee, 79-75
Sunday, March 1, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Florida sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) scored a game-high 20 points but the Gators couldn't overcome Tennessee's torrid first-half shooting as the Volunteers held on to win 79-75 on Sunday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Tennessee (18-10, 9-5) shot 65 percent from the field in the first half, including 7-for-9 from behind the arc, on their way to a 45-33 lead at the break.
Florida (21-8, 8-6) made it close, though. The Gators trailed 59-43 midway through the second, but used a barrage of big shots down the stretch to make it 75-72 with one minute left. But Scotty Hopson tipped freshman guard Erving Walker's (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tying 3-point attempt with 37 seconds left.
Walker finished with 16 points, including four three-pointers. Sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) scored 13 points and had a game-high nine rebounds. Junior forward Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.) chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
Tyler Smith scored 19 points and Wayne Chism added 18 for Tennessee, as the Volunteers snapped Florida's 17-game home-winning streak. Smith hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal it.
Florida will travel to Starkville on Wednesday for a 8 p.m. tip against Mississippi State. The Gators' regular-season finale will be a nationally-televised game (CBS) against Kentucky on Saturday at 2 p.m.
