At the Buzzer: South Carolina 57, Florida 53
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Th Gators failed to hit a 3-point shot for the first time in 25 years on the way to losing their first game in SEC play.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 24 SOUTH CAROLINA 57, No. 19 FLORIDA 53
WHAT HAPPENED: A physical foul fest broke out between two of the Southeastern Conference's three remaining unbeaten teams and it was the No. 24 Gamecocks who took control in the body-banging battle of attrition by shooting better, making more free throws and holding serve down the stretch for a huge win before a raucous crowd at Colonial Life Arena. USC senior guard Sindarius Thornwell scored 20 points, forward Chris Silva had 11 to go with seven rebounds and guard P.J. Dozier threw in 10. Dozier was 1-for-8 from the floor for the game when he banked in a driving layup with 22.6 seconds left after the Gators had fought back to cut a six-point lead to just one. In a game where neither team scored for the first five-plus minutes, Florida led by seven at the half, but USC opened the second period with a blitz, as the Gators missed their first eight field-goal tries and 14 of their first 15 on the way to shooting just 35 percent from floor and going 0-for-17 from the 3-point line, making for the first time UF had gone scoreless from the arc in 25 years. Reserve forward Canyon Barry led UF with 13 points, with junior forward Devin Robinson going for eight points and 10 rebounds.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators had their seven-game winning streak snapped and dropped into third place in the league standings, behind Kentucky (6-0 vs SEC) and South Carolina (5-0). While the defeat stings, the Gamecocks began the day at No. 25 in the Ratings Percentage Index, so it's hardly a bad loss (just a really ugly one, but the Gamecocks tend to do that teams). The Gators, though, fell to 0-4 vs RPI Top 25 teams, so they're still looking for that gold star on the resume.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The officials. They called 55 fouls, leading to 62 free throws and got a lot of air time during a game that went nearly 2 1/2 hours.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators came in with an active streak of 850 straight games with at least one 3-pointer, believed to be the third-longest in the nation (behind UNLV and Kentucky). The run dated to an 80-61 loss at Kentucky on Jan. 11, 1992 and spanned three head coaches. It's now over.
UP NEXT: Florida (14-4, 5-1) returns home this weekend and will face Vanderbilt at Exactech Arena. The game, set for Saturday at noon, is already a sellout. The Commodores (9-9, 2-4), who swept the Gators last season, are struggling after sending two first-round draft picks to the NBA in guard Wade Baldwin IV and center Damian Jones. Vandy won its first two SEC games, but a loss Tuesday night at Georgia was a fourth straight in league play.
No. 24 SOUTH CAROLINA 57, No. 19 FLORIDA 53
WHAT HAPPENED: A physical foul fest broke out between two of the Southeastern Conference's three remaining unbeaten teams and it was the No. 24 Gamecocks who took control in the body-banging battle of attrition by shooting better, making more free throws and holding serve down the stretch for a huge win before a raucous crowd at Colonial Life Arena. USC senior guard Sindarius Thornwell scored 20 points, forward Chris Silva had 11 to go with seven rebounds and guard P.J. Dozier threw in 10. Dozier was 1-for-8 from the floor for the game when he banked in a driving layup with 22.6 seconds left after the Gators had fought back to cut a six-point lead to just one. In a game where neither team scored for the first five-plus minutes, Florida led by seven at the half, but USC opened the second period with a blitz, as the Gators missed their first eight field-goal tries and 14 of their first 15 on the way to shooting just 35 percent from floor and going 0-for-17 from the 3-point line, making for the first time UF had gone scoreless from the arc in 25 years. Reserve forward Canyon Barry led UF with 13 points, with junior forward Devin Robinson going for eight points and 10 rebounds.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators had their seven-game winning streak snapped and dropped into third place in the league standings, behind Kentucky (6-0 vs SEC) and South Carolina (5-0). While the defeat stings, the Gamecocks began the day at No. 25 in the Ratings Percentage Index, so it's hardly a bad loss (just a really ugly one, but the Gamecocks tend to do that teams). The Gators, though, fell to 0-4 vs RPI Top 25 teams, so they're still looking for that gold star on the resume.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The officials. They called 55 fouls, leading to 62 free throws and got a lot of air time during a game that went nearly 2 1/2 hours.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators came in with an active streak of 850 straight games with at least one 3-pointer, believed to be the third-longest in the nation (behind UNLV and Kentucky). The run dated to an 80-61 loss at Kentucky on Jan. 11, 1992 and spanned three head coaches. It's now over.
UP NEXT: Florida (14-4, 5-1) returns home this weekend and will face Vanderbilt at Exactech Arena. The game, set for Saturday at noon, is already a sellout. The Commodores (9-9, 2-4), who swept the Gators last season, are struggling after sending two first-round draft picks to the NBA in guard Wade Baldwin IV and center Damian Jones. Vandy won its first two SEC games, but a loss Tuesday night at Georgia was a fourth straight in league play.
Players Mentioned
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