Florida Men’s Basketball Falls At South Carolina After Losing 10-Point Lead

The No. 24 Florida Gators men’s basketball team fell at the No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks, 82-76, on Saturday afternoon.

It was a close matchup, with South Carolina trailing for the majority of the game. But, the Gamecocks managed to snatch back the lead in the last five minutes of play.

After a 3-pointer from Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators (20-9, 10-6 SEC) were able to tie it at 74, but from there South Carolina (24-5, 12-4) continued on its groove and Florida was unable to recover.

Final.

Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/dw1ai0JuD9

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 2, 2024

Florida Goes On 14-0 Scoring Run

South Carolina Seals The Deal

Florida held the lead initially after the break and was up by 10 points (56-46) at the 12:29 mark until South Carolina applied defensive pressure to force turnovers. South Carolina switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense in the second half, slowing Florida’s efforts.

Meechie Johnson had a SEC career-high by putting up 25 points, 21 of which were made in the second half to help the Gamecocks toward the lead. Johnson put up a layup giving South Carolina the 65-63 lead.

With one minute remaining, the Gators were able to tie it at 74 after the 3-pointer from Clayton Jr.

WALT 👌 pic.twitter.com/q4NIFyHHlw

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 2, 2024

Johnson responded with a 3-pointer of his own to move the Gamecocks to the lead that they needed to finish out the matchup.

What it Means