Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications
At the Buzzer: Florida 64, Missouri 60 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, February 23, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 64, MISSOURI 60
FLORIDA 64, MISSOURI 60
WHAT HAPPENED: Senior guard KeVaughn Allen hit two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to secure a hard-fought Southeastern Conference home win over the Tigers, in a game the Gators trailed for most of the second half. UF was down nine at half, after missing eight of their last nine shots of the period, and fell behind by as many 12 early in the second, then spent the bulk of the half playing catch-up. UF center Kevarrius Hayes' two free throws with 4:56 left put the home team in front and the Gators stayed there until the end of the game, but had to weather several possessions when the Tigers threatened to retake the lead, including when guard Javon Pickett drove hard to the left side of the goal, but missed a bank shot with 24 seconds left and Mizzou down just 61-60. Freshman forward Keyontae Johnson rebounded, was fouled, but made just one free throw. Out of a Tigers timeout, Pickett misfired on a go-ahead 3-ball with eight seconds left. Again, it was Johnson with the rebound, but he shoveled a pass to Allen, UF's best free-throw shooter, before even landing on the floor. Allen made both and the Gators got out of Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center alive. Allen finished with 17 points and was 9-for-10 from the free throw line, where he joined his teammates to go a combined 25 of 30 (83.3 percent). Thank goodness, too, because the Gators went the final 4:17 without converting a field goal despite shooting 55 percent from the floor in the second half, and made a season-low three (on 15 attempts) from the 3-point line. After Allen, Johnson had 13 points and seven rebounds, while fifth-year senior Jalen Hudson had his fourth-double digit game in his last five with 11 points and five rebounds. Mizzou, who led for more than 31 minutes, was paced by point guard Jordan Geist's 16 points and Pickett's 15 points, six rebounds and three steals.
WHAT IT MEANS: Florida's first four-game winning streak is coming at an opportune time. UF, now two games over .500 in the SEC standings and in fifth place, will go into the next-to-last week of the regular season with a very solid rating in the NET system (it began the day at No. 31) that will seed the NCAA Tournament field. They took care of business, with some drama, and now have to do it again Wednesday when their collective psyche will be tested to even tougher degree on the road.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Allen did not score in the first half of Wednesday's upset win at LSU, but finished with 21 points in the second half and overtime. In this one, he went 0-for-5 from the floor in the first half, but hit four of his five shots after the break, attacked the Tigers off the bounce, and was near-perfect at the free-throw line, despite missing his first free throw at the O'Dome since Jan. 25, 2018 against South Carolina, a run of 47 straight.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: That 25-for-30 from the line, including 16 of 19 in the second half, accounted for the most makes in a conference game for the Gators this season. UF is now shooting 71.7 overall and a sizzling 77.8 in SEC play.
UP NEXT: Florida (16-11, 8-6) is back on the road Wednesday night to face Vanderbilt (9-17, 0-13) at Memorial Gym, where the Gators have not won since the 2014 team left there with a victory on the way to its perfect 18-0 league record, SEC championship and berth in the Final Four. The Commodores, much better than that winless-in-league-play record indicates, is at Alabama later Saturday.
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