FINAL: Florida 70, South Carolina 69

What Happened

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Florida senior guard Will Richard made a driving, go-ahead layup in traffic with 4.8 seconds left as the fifth-ranked Gators completed a ferocious rally from 14 down in the second half for a stunning 70-69 road victory Wednesday night over South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena.

Richard's game-winner came after Gamecocks guard Zachary Davis hit one of two free throws with 17.3 seconds to go, opening the door for the visitors to steal the win. UF point guard Walter Clayton Jr. brought the ball into the halfcourt and pitched it to Richard wrapping around at the top of the key. The 6-foot-5 wing had momentum going downhill and drove his defender, Morris Ugusuk, down the left side of the lane and made an acrobatic, left-handed layup that kissed off the glass.

South Carolina guard Jacobi Wright's missed a 30-foot game-winning attempt at the buzzer, denying the Gamecocks their first Southeastern Conference win of the season and allowing the Gators to escape with a second straight league victory and third road win of the season.

UF trailed by 14, at 52-38, with just over 12 minutes to go and by 11 inside 10 minutes when Coach Todd Golden unleashed a full-court press that immediately led to a run of seven straight points, including a pair of turnovers that got run-out layups for Richard to make it a 58-51 game. A 3 by Ugusuk with 6:34 to go pushed the Gamecocks back ahead by nine, but UF fifth-year guard Alijah Martin answered with a 3 of his own, followed by a couple free throws by Clayton to cut the lead to four with 4:40 left.

South Carolina's lead was five, 68-63 after a Davis 3 at the 1:14 mark, but Richard's corner 3, then a steal and a couple free throws by Martin made it 68- with 52.4 seconds remaining.

Then came Wright's 1-for-2 at the line. Then Richard's game-winner.

Richard, who scored 14 of his team-high 22 points in the second half, went nine of 14 from the floor, three of five from distance, grabbed four rebounds and had three steals. Clayton had 16 points and seven assists, while also hitting two 3s to set the UF record for most consecutive games with at least one 3-point make at 42. Martin added 14 points and three steals. Davis led the Gamecocks with 22 points, while forwards Collin Murray-Boyles and Alabama transfer Nick Pringle combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, with their physicality a big reason why USC was able to build their lead.

The Florida defense forced 15 turnovers, with 13 of them steals, as the Gators survived despite giving up 49-percent shooting to a USC team that came in at 39.1 percent in its five SEC games. UF shot 42.4 percent for the game, outscored South Carolina 22-0 in fastbreak points, as well as 22-5 in points off turnovers.

UF guard **Alijah Martin** looks over the Gamecocks defense during Wednesday night's first half.

What it Means

A volt of energy for the program, given the improbability of the outcome. In equaling the best 19-game start in program history (alongside the 2006 and '07 national-championship teams, plus the '12-13 and '13-14 squads), the Gators took care of business on the road against a wounded, scratching, clawing opponent with its back to the wall and searching for a first conference win. There will be far more difficult challenges down the line, but road wins in the league should always be appreciated and celebrated. Especially last-second ones.

In the Spotlight

Richard's game-winner were his 999th and 1,000th career points as a Gator. He's now the 56th UF player to reach the 1,000-point milestone in program history.

Staggering Statistic

The Gators' only lead of the game was the one Richard gave them.

Up Next

Florida (17-2, 4-2) is back home Saturday for the first of two meetings against Mike White and his Georgia Bulldogs (14-4, 2-3), who played late Wednesday at Arkansas. UGA is markedly improved from last season's NIT participant. The Bulldogs defeated sixth-ranked Kentucky to vault into the Top 25 for the first time in 15 years, but fell out with back to-back losses to top-10 foes Auburn and Tennessee.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu

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