Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications
FINAL: Texas A&M 66, Florida 63
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
WHAT HAPPENED: Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV made a driving, go-ahead floater with 42 seconds remaining and Florida missed a trio of chances to tie the game in the closing moments, as the visiting Aggies handed the Gators a 66-63 loss in their home Southeastern Conference opener Wednesday night at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. UF point guard Trey Bonham, who led all scorers with 21 points, was called for an offensive foul attacking the basket with his team down by just two and 6.2 seconds left. After A&M guard Tyrece Radford made one of two free throws, Bonham's hurried and off-balance desperation 3-point heave from just inside half court bounced off the back of the rim. Taylor finished with 17 points, as did Aggies forward Julius Marble, the bulky transfer from Michigan State, with Radford just behind with 15, as the Aggies won despite shooting 37.7 from the floor and just 2-for-16 from the 3-point line (12.5 percent). Florida, which came into the game on an horrendous two-game shooting slump from deep, had a decent enough night shooting the ball at 45.5 percent, with seven 3s on just 19 tries. The Gators, though, killed themselves with 20 turnovers that led to 21 Aggies points, including a combined 13 giveaways from Bonham (7) and senior forward Colin Castleton (6). UF trailed by eight in the second half and came back to take the lead with 5:49 left, then fell back behind by five again before tying it up on four straight points from Castleton (14 points, 5 rebounds), the equalizer coming on a steal and run-out layup with 1:04 to go. Out of an A&M timeout, Taylor got loose down the lane and tossed in his teardrop, giving his team a whopping 38 points in the paint. Gators point guard Kyle Lofton missed a shot for the tie at the his end, but the Aggies turned it over with 14.4 seconds to go, giving UF a second chance. Then came Bonham's charge, Radford's 1-for-2 from the line, then Bonham's missed shot at the buzzer. The game began strangely, with a 10-minute delay to tip-off because the Aggies left their uniforms at the team hotel. The mishap cost A&M a technical free throw, which UF guard Will Richard hit before the tip to start the game. When the live action began it was all A&M, which out-shot, out-rebounded and out-played UF to lead 34-23 at the break, as the Gators basically played catch up the entire night.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Got to give the nod to A&M coach Buzz Williams, who spent a good portion of the game (during live action, no less) on the floor, sometimes a good 10 feet deep. Despite pleas from the UF bench and a slew of warnings from officials, Williams continued to do his thing. Ultimately, he led the Aggies to their third straight win over the Gators and their first at the O'Dome (in five tries) since A&M joined the SEC for the 2012-13 season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators took their first free throw before the game and did not attempt to another one until 1:39 remained in the first half. The Aggies had 11 over that span to help build an 11-point halftime lead.
UP NEXT: It'll easily qualify as one of the most anticipated games of the season, what with former Gators coach Mike White returning to the O'Dome for Saturday afternoon's date between the Gators (7-7, 0-2) and Bulldogs (11-3, 1-0). White, of course, succeeded icon Billy Donovan in 2015 and guided the Gators to a 142-88 record over seven seasons -- the third-most victories in program history -- before resigning last March 13 following the team's second-round loss in the SEC Tournament. At Georgia, White took over for the fired Tom Crean, who won just six games last season. White nearly has doubled that number in his first two months in Athens, with UGA upsetting No. 22 Auburn 76-64 Wednesday at home in the Dogs' league opener.
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