GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Through 59 minutes and 41.3 seconds, Florida's good-and-getting-better freshmen class was the overriding reason the Gators were in the game Wednesday night against Ole Miss. 

But it was their high-scoring senior, the one who'd missed all six of the 3-pointers he'd taken, who ultimately stole the show, and the game, from the dumbfounded Rebels. 

KeVaughn Allen buried an NBA 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in regulation, scored four of his team's 14 points in overtime and also made the effort play of the night to lead Florida to a pulsating 90-86 victory before a raucous bunch of Rowdies and friends at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Allen scored 11 of his 20 points over the final four minutes of regulation and OT, while freshman guard Noah Locke threw in a team-best 22 points, including six 3-pointers over 42 minutes, as Florida (12-8, 4-3) won a third straight Southeastern Conference game, but also came up on the right side of a close one for the first time this season. 

Heading into those final four minutes, Allen was 2-for-14 from the floor and 0-for-4 from deep, but finished the game by knocking down four of his last five field-goal attempts and both free throws to go with a couple assists.

What did the final few minutes say about Allen's willingness, despite a cold shooting hand, to try and take over the game, anyway? 

"Growth, because he hasn't always been that confident," UF coach Mike White said. "He's a senior midway through his [fina] year and he wants it more offensively. He's embraced being a senior and a talented scorer, and that's what we need. He's playing well." 
 
Allen extended his career-best run of double-digit scoring games to nine, but shared the spotlight with Locke and his two rookie classmates, forward Keyontae Johnson and point guard Andrew Nembhard. Johnson, starting for the fourth straight game had career-high 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting and six rebounds before fouling out halfway through overtime with UF up seven. Nembhard hit four of his five shots, scored 12 points, including a huge 3 and two free throws in the extra period, to go with six assists, four steals and just two turnovers.

"We all needed to play with confidence and play together," Johnson said. 

Just four days after scoring 50 points in a five-point loss at Texas Christian, the Gators hit their season-high point total in SEC play by shooting 49.2 percent for the floor, the best against a conference foe this season, including 56 percent in the second half. Those numbers would have been impressive were it not for the 59.3 percent the Rebels (14-6, 4-3) fired in the second half, a period they started by hitting eight of their first 11 shots and 14 of their first 21 to take a four-point lead with just over four minutes remaining. 

That's when the drama really kicked in. 

The Ole Miss lead was 70-66 when Allen drove for a bank shot and, after a stop, Locke followed with a 3-pointer to give UF a 71-70 lead. The Gators had a chance to extend it, but Johnson missed two free throws with 1:38 left. The Rebels took advantage by scoring a quick post-up by guard Terrance Davis (26 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists), then two free throws by KJ Buffen (17 points, 5 rebounds) at the 1:01 mark. The Mississippi lead was 74-71.

A rolling, spinning layup in traffic by Nembhard made it a one-point game inside 40 seconds, but Breein Tyree (20 points, 4 rebounds), the SEC's second-leading scorer, dropped in two free throws with 8.8 seconds to get the margin back to three points. 
 

Timeout, Florida. 

White drew a play where Allen would have the ball coming across midcourt, maybe with a chance for a downhill drive and quick two, but also with the option to find either Locke or Johnson in the corners. 

In the Ole Miss huddle, Coach Kermit Davis decided to play the game on defense. 

"Normally, about 90 percent of the time, we foul in that situation," Davis said. "We switched it off like we were supposed to." 

Allen dribbled into the front court, bee-lined for the right wing, and with 6-foot-7 Buffen up in his face, rose up and launched a fall-away 3-ball that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. 

"When I shot it, it felt good," Allen said. 

When it went in, it felt better for the berserk O'Dome crowd, which was then treated to some free basketball.

"Coach told us to lock it and get a win; that it all depended on how much we wanted it," Locke said. "I'm pretty sure everybody wanted. Actually, I know everybody wanted it."

In overtime, the two teams traded quick 3s, but then Allen had two more driving, circus, in-traffic bank shots and Nembhard made a 3-pointer that opened a seven-point lead. The Rebels, though, would not go away. They scored four straight to get within a possession, then seemingly forced another UF stop, but senior center Kevarrius Hayes (9 points, 8 rebounds) and senior wing Jalen Hudson (6 points) got in the mix for the rebound, tapping it away, as the ball careened toward the sidelines and out of bounds. 

That's when Allen dove out of bounds and directed the ball back in play to Hayes, who funneled it to Nembhard. The Rebels were forced to foul and Nembhard's two free throws made it a five-point game again. 

"Winning plays by seniors at the end of the game," White said.

The UF lead was just 88-86 when Ole Miss was forced to foul Locke after an inbound pass with 11.2 seconds to go. Locke calmly knocked down both to seal what felt like the biggest win of the season — because the Gators haven't had many big wins this season. 
 
"We did a good job collectively," Allen said. "We were better this time down the stretch, talking and communicating. Everyone was on the same page."

And on the right side of a close one, for a change. 

Something to build on, perhaps, especially with No. 7 Kentucky due in the Dome Saturday. 

"We'll find out more, with regard to our approach the next couple days and focus in practice," White said. "Hopefully, we're in a better place now. There were a lot of smiles in the locker room."