FINAL: Florida 62, Ole Miss 57 (OT)
Saturday, February 5, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 62, OLE MISS 57 (OT)
FLORIDA 62, OLE MISS 57 (OT)
WHAT HAPPENED: The Gators welcomed senior forward Colin Castleton back into the fold Saturday with another come-from-behind victory, a third straight, this one in overtime, but again needing clutch free throws from point guard Tyree Appleby, plus a UF career-high 10 assists, before finishing off the Rebels at Exactech Arena. Appleby, who three days earlier went 10-for-10 from the line, including a game-winning pair with 7.9 seconds to go Wednesday's win at Missouri, hit seven of eight free throws in the extra period against the Tigers, the last two coming with 3.3 seconds left to ice the matter. Castleton, the 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward and team leader in scoring, rebounds and blocked shot, missed the previous six games with a shoulder injury. He finished with a team-high 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, while equaling his career-high of 34 minutes. His jump hook over 7-foot center Nysier Brooks (11 points, 9 rebounds) with 1:25 to go in overtime gave UF a two-possession lead and the Rebels got no closer than three the rest of the way. Both times they did, Appleby did enough at the line to stave off any comeback hopes for the visitors. Florida trailed 30-21 at halftime, after Ole Miss absolutely crushed the Gators on the glass and hit six 3s to build its nine-point advantage. It didn't last, as UF scored the first seven points out of the locker room while Mississippi was missing its first 10 field-goal attempts. Two Castleton free throws with 11:23 to play gave Florida its first lead since eight minutes into the game and from there the game saw 10 lead changes and four ties. UF led by six when Myreon Jones hit a 3-pointer with 3:35 to go in regulation. Mississippi, though, scored the final six points of the period, including a two-pointer with 36 seconds left on a shot-clock, buzzer-beating floater from guard Ty Fagan (15 points, 5 rebounds). Appleby went just one of 10 from the floor, but made those free throws count, with is 10 dimes eclipsing his previous UF high of nine. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Castleton got a tremendous ovation when he was introduced with the starting lineup. Naturally, he was a little rusty, probably a little under-conditioned, and definitely anxious to be back out there. He finished six of 12 from the floor and made five of his seven free throws. He was a team-best plus-16 while on the floor.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: At halftime, Ole Miss had an 11-0 edge in offensive rebounds and 11-0 edge in second-chance points. That's how you fall behind by nine and have to fight back.
UP NEXT: Florida (15-8, 5-5) gets a second straight home game Wednesday night, as the Gators will try for their first four-game winning streak since November with a date against Georgia (6-17, 1-9). Beware the Bulldogs' record. Yes, they're at the bottom of the SEC standings, but they threw a mega-scare into top-ranked Auburn earlier Saturday, missing a last-second shot in a 74-72 loss at Athens.
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