At the Buzzer: Florida 57, Georgia 53 (Instant Analysis)
Tuesday, February 16, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 57, GEORGIA 53
WHAT HAPPENED: After a cold drought for the ice ages, the Gators got hot in the second half and surged past the Bulldogs for a huge Southeastern Conference road win at Stegeman Coliseum. Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen scored 19 points, with 14 coming in the second half. His free throw with 2.4 seconds left pushed the UF lead to two possessions and allowed the Gators to escape from a game when leading scorer Dorian Finney-Smith was held to just seven points and the team shot 24 percent in the first half and converted just one of its first 19 shots from the 3-point line. Florida's defense, though, was stout all the game, holding the Bulldogs to 32.4 percent, while the Gators shot 50 percent from both the floor and arc in the second half.
WHAT IT MEANS: UF won just its third road game of the season and it came at a great time and against a timely opponent. The Gators and Bulldogs entered the game tied for fourth in the SEC standings, so Florida moved ahead and put some distance between itself and another league team with NCAA Tournament ambitions.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Allen's explosive offensive side had taken a few games off, but it showed up in the seocnd half. His 19 points were Allen's most over the previous five games. He finished seven of 13 from the floor, including 4-for-7 in the second half, with a trio of big 3-pointers. The biggest came at the 3:20 mark, to give Florida a 50-47 lead mere seconds after Georgia's Kenny Gaines (12 points, 9 rebounds) had bombed a 3 to tie it. UF never trailed after that.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Over the previous two games, Florida is eight of 46 from the 3-point line. That's 17.3 percent. But the Gators also were 4-for-8 from deep after intermission.
UP NEXT: The Gators (17-9, 8-5) are back on the SEC road Saturday when they play South Carolina at noon. The Gamecocks (21-5, 8-5) will be hopping mad after Tuesday night's ugly loss at league cellar-dweller Missouri.
FLORIDA 57, GEORGIA 53
WHAT HAPPENED: After a cold drought for the ice ages, the Gators got hot in the second half and surged past the Bulldogs for a huge Southeastern Conference road win at Stegeman Coliseum. Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen scored 19 points, with 14 coming in the second half. His free throw with 2.4 seconds left pushed the UF lead to two possessions and allowed the Gators to escape from a game when leading scorer Dorian Finney-Smith was held to just seven points and the team shot 24 percent in the first half and converted just one of its first 19 shots from the 3-point line. Florida's defense, though, was stout all the game, holding the Bulldogs to 32.4 percent, while the Gators shot 50 percent from both the floor and arc in the second half.
WHAT IT MEANS: UF won just its third road game of the season and it came at a great time and against a timely opponent. The Gators and Bulldogs entered the game tied for fourth in the SEC standings, so Florida moved ahead and put some distance between itself and another league team with NCAA Tournament ambitions.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Allen's explosive offensive side had taken a few games off, but it showed up in the seocnd half. His 19 points were Allen's most over the previous five games. He finished seven of 13 from the floor, including 4-for-7 in the second half, with a trio of big 3-pointers. The biggest came at the 3:20 mark, to give Florida a 50-47 lead mere seconds after Georgia's Kenny Gaines (12 points, 9 rebounds) had bombed a 3 to tie it. UF never trailed after that.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Over the previous two games, Florida is eight of 46 from the 3-point line. That's 17.3 percent. But the Gators also were 4-for-8 from deep after intermission.
UP NEXT: The Gators (17-9, 8-5) are back on the SEC road Saturday when they play South Carolina at noon. The Gamecocks (21-5, 8-5) will be hopping mad after Tuesday night's ugly loss at league cellar-dweller Missouri.
Players Mentioned
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