Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Kyle Lofton is a seasoned veteran at finishing what he starts.

Lofton ranked among the national leaders each season in minutes played during his four years at St. Bonaventure. He averaged 38.5 minutes per game last season, the third-most of any player in Division I.

Lofton's workload in his first UF season has not been near as heavy.

Lofton started Saturday's game against Georgia averaging 29.4 minutes per game, a rate that has him barely breaking a sweat compared to his days running the Bonnies' offense for veteran coach Mark Schmidt. First-year Gators coach Todd Golden brought Lofton in for more reasons than to play from start to finish.

"When we're building our program, like when we're trying to get the environment and culture right, he's a great fit for that,'' Golden said. "He's a guy that's delivered a lot in his career and knows what to expect. He's done a good job of lifting others."

Lofton did that and more against the Bulldogs, boosting the Gators to a crowd-pleasing 82-75 win over Georgia on Saturday afternoon at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Lofton scored a team-high 18 points – his most productive outing with the Gators – and hit 7 of 11 shots in nearly 33 minutes. He added a memorable three-point play in the second half when he in-bounded the ball off the back of Georgia's Jusuan Holt, grabbed the loose ball and made a layup while getting fouled by Holt.

Most importantly, Lofton did his best work at the end.

With Georgia guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim draped on him, Lofton hit a fade-away jumper along the baseline with 2:33 remaining to put the Gators up, 74-69. He wasn't done. After a basket by Georgia's Braelen Bridges and a pair of free throws from UF guard Riley Kugel made the score 76-71, Georgia's Terry Roberts made a free throw to trim the lead to four with less than a minute remaining.

That's when the 6-foot-3 and rangy Lofton struck again, driving into the lane and finding Kugel for a soaring dunk and six-point Gators lead with 30 seconds left. Georgia wasn't done, either, and responded with a 3-pointer by Kario Oquendo to trim Florida's lead to 78-75 with 23 seconds left.  Following a Georgia timeout, Lofton was fouled and hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left, and after Roberts missed a shot and UF's Colin Castleton grabbed the rebound, Castleton tossed an outlet pass to Lofton, who once again found Kugel for an exclamation-point dunk to send the home fans home in a frenzy.

Lofton doubled his season scoring average (8.4), and his +12 plus/minus Saturday led all players as the Gators (8-7, 1-2) snapped a three-game losing streak. They won their first Southeastern Conference game under Golden in former UF coach Mike White's return to Gainesville as head coach at Georgia (11-4, 1-1).

"He had it going,'' Golden said. "Especially down the stretch, when it became a ball-control game, he's going to be on the floor because he keeps us organized really well."

Lofton said afterward that his perception in crunch time was that the coaches told him the game was in his hands and that if the Gators lost, he was to blame.

"It definitely felt a little different, just having the ball in my hands, making a play at the end of the game,'' he said. "Doing what I had to do."

Golden offered a revised take but was perfectly pleased by Lofton's performance in an up-and-down season for the veteran newcomer from Hillside, N.J. Lofton's previous high at Florida was 17 points in an 84-55 loss to West Virginia on Nov. 27.

"I'm never going to put it on one player individually,'' Golden said. "He hasn't played great in every game, but tonight, in a tough, raucous environment against a good player, for him to have 18 and 3 assists, he answered.

"Sure, if we lost, it was his fault, but we didn't, so we don't have to worry about that."

Instead, Lofton's steady direction of the offense and signature plays in the final minutes lifted the Gators to a victory they needed — and certainly wanted — with the White storyline hanging in the air.

And just like old times, Lofton was on the court most of the game doing what he knows best.

"Just being the senior, the older point guard out there, controlling the team, making sure we got good shots,'' he said. "That's definitely key down the stretch. It's definitely a confidence booster. Being 0-2 to start the league, no one wants to do that. Hopefully, we carry this on."