Junior Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) and freshman Kenny Boynton (Pompano Beach, Fla.) scored 29 and 22 points, respectively, as the Gators fell short to Georgia, 78-76, Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens.
Boynton pulled Florida (20-9, 9-5 SEC) within two points three times in the final 5:42, but his fast break layup at the 1:39 mark ended the scoring.
Parsons connected on 10-of-16 from the field, 3-of-5 from behind the arc and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe for a career-best night.
Despite nearly overcoming a 15-point UGA lead, UF couldn't match a Bulldog team that shot 57.4 percent from the field, but Florida knocked down 11-of-23 threes, its most since hitting 13 at Vanderbilt to open SEC play.
Georgia's Trey Thompkins scored 20 points and Albert Jackson ended Florida's comeback attempt by knocking a last-second pass out of bounds to help Georgia (13-14, 5-9 SEC) to the victory.
Florida junior Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) joined Parsons and Boynton in double-digits with 10 points, while Macklin and Parsons each grabbed a team-high six boards.
Parsons and Boynton each hit two threes for UF's first 12 points in the Gators' efforts, as the duo collaborated to score 22 of UF's first 25 points.
The Gators return home to host Vanderbilt (22-6, 11-3 SEC) March 2 in Gainesville as part of ESPN's Super Tuesday broadcast. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
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