FINAL: Florida 72, Georgia 63
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 72, GEORGIA 63
FLORIDA 72, GEORGIA 63
WHAT HAPPENED: Senior guard Myreon Jones scored a UF career-high 23 points off the bench, including seven 3-pointers, pacing the Gators to a fourth straight victory Wednesday night at Exactech Arena, this one over the rival Bulldogs, but not without what has become the required close-game drama with this UF team. Georgia trailed by 16 in the first half and by 14 with less than seven minutes to play before going on a 14-3 tear that the cut the lead to just three, 64-61, with just under three minutes to play. Out of timeout, senior forward Colin Castleton (13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks) hit an elbow jumper, then after a steal by Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals) at the UGA end, fifth-year senior point guard Tyree Appleby (11 points) hit a late-clock 3-pointer for an eight-point cushion with 37.8 to go. Appleby's two free throws with 26.5 left, plus one from Fleming with 10.6 to go finished things off. The Gators shot 45.6 percent for the game, with their 12 makes from distance (on 35 attempts) a high during Southeastern Conference play this season. UF shot nearly 54 percent in the first half and banged six 3-pointers, but had a 16-point lead cut in half at the break when UGA finished the period on an 11-3 run, including the last seven points, as the Gators hit just one field goal over the final five minutes. Florida hit the first two shots of the second and began taking the lead out, until the Georgia began bringing it back late. Jones, the Penn State transfer, continued his bounce-back from what was basically a two-month shooting slump by making seven of his 11 shots from distance (he took no 2s) on a way to a UF career-high for points. He also had two assists, two blocked shots, a steal and drew a late second-half charge.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jones has averaged 15.4 points over the last five games. He's averaged 16.3 during the last three, a stretch over which he's had two of his three best scoring outputs of the season and made of 14 of 23 from the 3-point line. That's 61 percent. He had 18 points in the win at Missouri a week ago, eight points in Saturday's win over Mississippi, with a couple huge 3s (one late in regulation, then other in overtime) to help the victory, and now 23 this time out. Good for him for sticking to the process.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Jones became the first UF player to hit seven 3s in a game since KeVaughn Allen and Noah Locke both did it on Jan. 22, 2019 in an 81-72 home victory against Texas A&M. In that game, Allen went 8-for-10, while Locke went 7-for-13.
UP NEXT: Florida (16-8, 6-5) starts a rugged road of four consecutive games expected to be of the Quadrant-1 relative to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) metrics, beginning with Saturday's date at fifth-ranked Kentucky (20-4, 9-2), which has won five straight, including an 18-point road blowout of No. 5 Kansas, and is 14-0 at Rupp Arena this season. After that, it's ... never mind. It's hard, trust me. No need looking any further ahead.
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/ Men's BasketballTodd Golden Media Availability 11-13-25
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