Florida Gators
Saint Joseph's
Grind House: Gators Gut One Out at Mohegan Sun
Sunday, November 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Mike White invoked the “G-word” Saturday night in describing how his Florida Gators managed to overtake St. Joseph's late and then blitz the Hawks in the final couple minutes of a 74-63 win at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
“We grinded one out,” White said.
It was a grinder, all right, complete with mostly poor shooting by both teams, (especially from the 3-point arc), a bunch of fouls and some really hard-nosed defense.
Ultimately, it was a 21-4 Florida run over the final 6:22 -- a spree that included 12 of the game's final 13 points -- that flipped a six-point deficit into a double-digit victory in the first round of the Hall of Fame Tipoff. In saving its best basketball for last, UF got 13 points and six rebounds from senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith, plus a second double-double of the young season from sophomore forward Devin Robinson, who came off the bench to tally 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior point guard Kasey Hill had a season-high 13 points and five assists before fouling out with 3:27 to go, as his team was starting its run.
“We have a deep depth chart and it gave other people opportunities to play the game,” said Robinson, who grabbed half of his rebounds on the offensive end. “With people in foul trouble, we have guys who can play more. It makes it easier on everybody.”
And made for yet another a balanced box score for the Gators (3-0), who had seven players with at least five points and 11 with at least nine minutes. They'll need all those bodies Sunday night when they take on No. 21 Purdue (4-0) in the tournament championship game. The Boilermakers, with two 7-footers and more size (and skill) to boot, roughed up Old Dominion 61-39 in the other semifinal.
“They'll present all sorts of problems,” White said. “They're a team with a lot of strengths.”
White and his staff are still learning their team's strengths, but a common denominator that's becoming increasingly apparent is Florida's willingness to play hard -- and harder, if need be.
“We stayed together when adversity hit,” Finney-Smith said. “In the huddle, we talked about pulling together and just went out and got stops when we needed to.”
UF guard Kasey Hill (left) and forward Dorian Finney-Smith (right) tag-team St. Joseph forward Pierfrancesco Oliva during Saturday's 74-63 win at Mohegan Sun Arena. [Photos by Bob Blanchard, RJB Sports]
Florida shot just 38.2 percent for the game and a dismal 8-for-32 from long-distance, but defended St. Joseph's (3-1) at a 40-percent clip, as the Hawks went just 3-for-18 from the arc. Their best player, forward and pro prospect DeAndre' Bembry, was held to just 2-for-11 shooting and 10 points. He came in averaging 17.
The Gators fell down by nine early, as shots weren't falling and the Hawks were finding hole's in UF's full-court press. Back they came, though, with Hill scoring eight points over three minutes to push his team in front. Back came St. Joe's, behind reserve guard James Demery (17 points), to go up by two until UF's backup point guard, Chris Chiozza (7 points, 4 assists), bombed a 3 at the halftime buzzer for a 34-33 lead.
It was midway into the second period -- when Florida had five players with at least three fouls, while St. Joe's had no one with more than two -- that the Hawks, in the bonus with nearly 13 minutes left, surged into the lead.
“We encouraged each other,” Hill said. “We talked to each other and stayed together during the tough times of the game.”
The Gators trailed 59-53 when Hill dropped a 3-pointer, the start of seven straight points -- thanks to some efficient offense and a match-up zone White droped on the Hawks -- that returned the lead at 60-59.
The score was tied at 62 when Finney-Smith found sophomore center John Egbunu (6 points, 6 rebounds) off a double-team drive with a terrific pass for a slam. After a timeout, then a missed Hawks shot, Finney-Smith hit a face-up 15-footer, followed by a SJU turnover that netted Robinson a free throw. The lead was five.
After Demery missed a runner, Chiozza worked the clock in UF's halfcourt, found a gap and drove down the right side of the lane. Near the restricted circle, he stopped in his tracks, flashed the ball with one hand to get a Hawks defender off his feet, and wheeled around to find Finney-Smith wide open floating at the 3-point on the left side of the floor.
The crowd gave a collective gasp.
“I don't know how he got the ball to me, but it hit me right in the chest, right where I like it,” Finney-Smith said.
The ball swished to give the Gators an 8-point lead with 1:17 to go. They finished from there, as Robinson's run-out dunk with 38 seconds provided an emphatic exclamation point.
“Credit to Florida,” said Hawks coach Phil Martelli, whose team ended just 2-for-11 from the floor against the UF zone. “A lot of nights you say, 'We lost the game.' Tonight, Florida won the game, plain and simple.”
By grinding. With lots of guys.
Lots of guts, too.
“We fought [and] that's our first grind-it-out game,” White said. “We're 1-for-1 in those now, but I'm sure we'll have several more this season.”
