Florida Gators

ATHENS, Ga. — Given the prohibitive mismatches in the frontcourt, the Florida Gators went to Georgia knowing they'd have to do some overachieving down low, but just as importantly, take advantage of whatever open shots the Bulldogs' stingy defense might allow.

When the final horn sounded Wednesday night, the 23rd-ranked Gators had been battered on the glass and shot a woeful 36.5 percent from the floor, at one point missing 15 straight shots in the second half (and 20 of 21), in a disheartening 72-60 defeat at Stegeman Coliseum.

Forward Yante Maten scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, with guard Williams "Turtle" Jackson II pitching in 16 more, but it was the overall defensive display the Bulldogs rolled out that was the overriding theme of UF's second straight Southeastern Conference defeat.

UF made just two field goals over the final 10-plus minutes, neither of which were of any consequence, as both came after the game had been decided and only marginally improved a second-half shooting display of just 31.4 percent. The Gators made nine 3s for the game, but missed seven straight while the Bulldogs were seizing command of the game.

"They set the tone," Florida coach Mike White said after watching his team get pummeled for 15 offensive rebounds. "The first 10 minutes, I didn't feel good about it at all. Ten minutes into the game, they were destroying us on the glass. We didn't come close to matching their physicality. They let us know this game was very important to them. They beat us to loose balls. They were tougher and more physical than we were. More aggressive. They played with more edge than we did. Credit them."

The Gators (15-7, 6-3) actually started the game — both halves, in fact — playing their best basketball of the night, though it was short-lived. UF let a six-point lead deep into the opening period, at 24-18 inside seven minutes remaining, evaporate when the Bulldogs (13-8, 4-5), losers of five of the previous seven, bombed in four straight 3-point shots during a 19-5 run that helped them to a 37-32 lead at halftime. Those 3-pointers got the crowd back in the game, as UGA, ranked 11th in league games in percentage from arc (.316) became the latest opponent to capitalize on UF's league-worst defense of the long-distance line.

Georgia only made two more 3s the rest of the game, but the collective confidence of the lowest-scoring team in the league was high. High enough to withstand another early half rush from the visitors.

A 3-pointer from Jalen Hudson, who was 0-for-6 in the first half, kicked in a 12-2 spree to open the second period, as the Gators surged back from eight points down to go up by five. And even after the Dogs got their lone 3s of the second half during a 10-4 run to tie the game at 48, Hudson snapped a string of four straight UF misses by knocking down his third long ball of the period at the 10:46 mark to give the Gators a 51-48 lead.

Their next field goal came with 1:07 to play, meaning the Gators missed 20 of 21 shots.
 
"They didn't do much different in the second half, they just played much better 'D' in the second half," Florida grad-transfer forward Egor Koulechov said. "They locked us down and we couldn't stop them down the stretch. The big plays, the loose balls, the big buckets … ."

Koulechov recalled taking a seat on the bench, after UF opened the half by hitting seven of its first eight shots, and looking up at the scoreboard and seeing his team was shooting around 50 percent.

"I looked up later and it was like 30," he said.

And the game was over.

The Bulldogs began the night topping the SEC in scoring defense (65.4 points per game), field-goal percentage defense (.374), rebounding margin (plus-4.5), defensive rebounds (27.0) and offensive rebound percentage (.348) in league games. They hit all those markers, in some cases easily.

"There seemed like there was a lid on the basket at times," White said.

Fifteen straight misses (and 16 of the final 18 attempts, as well) goes a long way to enhancing defensive percentage and rebounding numbers.

"They guard one-on-one really well," said senior point guard Chris Chiozza, who led UF with 15 points and six assists over 35 minutes. "I think we had a stretch where we didn't move the ball very well, and that's probably where we went on the stretch where we missed all those shots. We got a little stagnant. I probably over dribbled a couple possessions during that stretch."

Georgia's defense dictated tempo, slowing pace and rarely letting the Gators get going in transition, save those early possessions in both halves. White and his players copped to taking some difficult or even bad shots, but part of that was the UGA and part of that was that UF has made a lot of those shots this season.

"They're one of the best defensive teams in our league. They hold your field-goal percentage down," said Koulechov, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, but was limited to just three attempts from distance. "At the same time, it's up to us to make some shots, too. Eventually, you have to make plays. That's what it comes down to. In the second half, we just didn't."

The Bulldogs did.

After Hudson's 3, UGA scored nine straight while UF was flailing away, including an old-time 3-point finish on a jump hook by Maten from about 10 feet. After Koulechov hit a couple free throws to nudge the Gators within 55-53, Maten swished a 3 inside five minutes left, and by the time Keith Stone hit Florida's next field goal the Georgia's lead had ballooned to 13.

"I'm just disappointed," White said. "We've shown more fight than that."

They'd better learn to show it more often.