At the Buzzer: Texas Christian 55, Florida 50 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, January 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
TEXAS CHRISTIAN 55, FLORIDA 50
TEXAS CHRISTIAN 55, FLORIDA 50
WHAT HAPPENED: Forward Kouat Noi scored 22 points and guard Desmond Bane threw in 17 more, as the host Horned Frogs withstood a furious Florida rally and defeated the Gators in their SEC/Big 12 Challenge meeting Saturday at Schollmaier Arena. TCU used an eight-point run midway through the second half to seize control of a game that began with the threat of an ugly blowout by the home team. The Frogs scored the game's first 11 points, with UF failing to find the scoreboard until a Deaundrae Ballard 3-pointer at the 14:07 mark. TCU took the lead out to as many as 16 with just over two minutes to go in the period before the Gators started chipping away. They scored the last four points of the half, then 16 of the first 18 after the break to tie the score at 34-all on an Andrew Nembhard 3-pointer with 13:12 to go. The Frogs put their run of eight straight points together, behind 3s from Noi and backup forward Lat Mayen, and the closest the Gators got the rest of the way was three. Noi went 8-for-17 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds, while Bane also had six rebounds and was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in a game-high 36 minutes. Senior guard KeVaughn Allen led the Gators with 11 points. UF put itself in a bind by shooting just 27.6 percent in the first half, which was actually better than the 27.3 the team defended TCU at in the second half.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators lost for the first time in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge under Coach Mike White and fell to 4-2 overall in the ESPN event that dates to the 2013-14 season. Of greater relevance to this season, UF fell to 0-6 against teams ranked in the NET top 40 and badly need a marquee, resume-type victory. A couple of them, actually.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Forward Keyontae Johnson got off to a rough start, with a couple turnovers and a shot blocked in the opening minutes, but the Gators were at their best when he was on the floor -- which wasn't long, due to foul trouble. TCU went on its 8-0 run right after Johnson went to the bench with his third foul with just over nine minutes to go. Johnson, making his third consecutive start, finished with nine points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes. UF is now 2-1 with the freshmen trio of Johnson, Nembhard and Noah Locke in the starting lineup.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: That 27.6 percent in the first half looked a lot worse than that. UF missed 14 of its first 15 shots, which would be 9.3 percent and along the way in the first period yipped at least three bunnies at the rim. The fact the Gators were only down a dozen, 32-20, at the break was something of a surprise. The fact they tied it was an even bigger one. The 20 first-half points equaled the season-low scored in the opener at Florida State.
UP NEXT: Florida (11-8, 3-3) returns to SEC play Wednesday night at home against No. 20 Ole Miss (14-5, 4-2) for the start of a rugged run of four straight games against conference teams currently ranked in the Top 25. After the Rebels, who Saturday were beaten by Iowa State in their SEC/Big 12 game, the Gators are home against No. 8 Kentucky, then back on the road to face No. 16 Auburn and No. 1 Tennessee.
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