FINAL: Auburn 85, Florida 73
Saturday, January 8, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
No. 9 AUBURN 85, FLORIDA 73
No. 9 AUBURN 85, FLORIDA 73
WHAT HAPPENED: Four Auburn players hit double figures, led by guard KD Johnson's 23 points and a nice floor game of 13 points and four assists from point guard Wendell Green Jr., and the ninth-ranked Tigers staved off a gutsy second-half push from the visiting Gators and pulled away late for an 11th straight victory Saturday night before a rowdy, sellout crowd at Auburn Arena. Florida erased a 13-point first-half deficit and turned the game into a one-possession affair over four occasions after the break, the last being a 63-61 Tigers' lead with seven minutes to go. That's when Auburn took off on a 10-2 run capped by Green's 30-foot 3-pointer from the Auburn midcourt logo that rocked the house. UF got a solid game from 6-foot-10 senior forward Colin Castleton, who finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and outplayed AU's 7-1 center and nation's blocked-shot leader Walker Kessler (6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks), who fouled out with two minutes to go. The Tigers, though, had plenty of other weapons. Johnson, the transfer from Georgia, hit seven of his 13 shots and three of four from deep. Backup forward Jaylin Williams had 14 points and freshman forward Jabari Smith, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, had 13 points and five rebounds. UF scored the game's first basket, a 3-pointer by Tyree Appleby (11 points, season-high 9 assists, 4 turnovers), but AU had the lead a minute later and never gave it back, twice working the margin up to 13 points, including after a 3-ball by Johnson a minute to go before halftime. The Gators, though, scored the last four points of the period, with a late 3 from Anthony Duruji (14 points, 5 rebounds), to trail by just nine, 39-30, at intermission. Instead of Auburn jumping out of the locker room and seizing control, Florida stuck around, thanks in great part to whistle-happy officials at both ends. Both teams were in the bonus barely seven minutes in, and the Gators made it a two-point game on a layup by Castleton, but the Tigers took off on their run of 10-2 from there -- one that could have been thrwarted early had Brandon McKissic not missed two free throws with UF down 65-61 -- with Green, the Western Kentucky transfer, drilling his long one to open a 10-point lead with less than four minutes to go. The Gators got no closer than seven the rest of the way. Auburn shot 53.6 percent for the game to Florida's 41.4. Those numbers went to 57.1 and 41.2 in the second half, respectively.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Duruji came into the game averaging 8.8 points and shooting better than 57 percent from the floor and 45 from 3. Three nights earlier, in the loss to No. 15 Alabama, he attempted just one shot; a 3. He made it. Against the Tigers, Duruji he was more aggressive on the offensive end, finishing 6-for-12 from the floor and 2-for-6 from deep.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida is now 5-62 all-time against top 10-ranked opponents on the road. That's a winning percentage of .075.
UP NEXT: Florida (9-5, 0-2) will play a third ranked team in as many SEC games to open the season when No. 21 LSU (14-1, 2-1) comes to Gainesville for a Wednesday night game. The Tigers beat 18th-ranked Tennessee 79-67 at home Saturday night. Their lone loss? A 15-point defeat here at Auburn to open league play.
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