Florida’s Second-Half Rally Falls Short in Upset Loss Against Auburn
Saturday’s Florida men’s basketball 76-67 loss can be described in one word: surprising. Whether it was the No. 16 Gators being outrebounded 20-13 in the first half or new football coach Jon Sumrall watching the game from the student section, it was tough to predict anything.
Auburn (13-7, 4-3 SEC) snapped the Gators’ (14-6, 5-2) five-game winning streak in notching their first victory in Gainesville since 1996.
Florida’s SEC foe started the game on a 19-2 run, headlined by senior Keyshawn Hall. The forward logged 22 of his team-high 24 points in the first half, including all 10 of Auburn’s initial tallies.
The reigning national champion Gators, an 11 1/2-point favorite, were down by 15 points at the half (43-28), but stormed back two minutes into the final 20 minutes.
They cut Auburn’s lead to seven thanks to an Urban Klavzar 3 and a Thomas Haugh transition layup on the succeeding possession.
Florida’s 26-10 streak was capped halfway through the second half. The Gators failed to hold the lead for more than 56 seconds, and did not do so after 1:30 into the contest.
Rebound, rebound, rebound. A mantra that Florida has carried with it throughout the season. That idea stalled Saturday. Auburn’s KeShawn Murphy’s four rebounds at the break exceeded each Gator’s total in that span.
Florida ultimately outrebounded Auburn 39-32, but was kept to just 13 in the first half.
The Tigers’ victory comes nearly 11 months after the last matchup between the programs. Florida topped Auburn 79-73 in last season’s Final Four. The Gators would win their third NCAA title two days later.
Saturday was a different story. Florida failed to generate any semblance of offense in the first 20 minutes of play. It shot 38% from the field to Auburn’s 48%.
The loss was the first contest in which Florida was outscored in the paint since Dec. 2 against Duke. The Tigers picked up 38 points down low compared to the Gators’ 28.
“This team is known for its grittiness and getting those paint buckets,” UF’s Thomas Haugh said. “As a frontcourt, we can’t let that happen.”
Florida shot 26% (7-for-27 ) from beyond the arc, including Haugh going 3-for-9. The junior forward led all scorers with 27 points.
Haugh amassed his fourth triple-double of the season after picking up a team-high 10 rebounds.
Lack of success from the charity stripe can be honed in on after Florida’s nine-point loss. The group went 59% from the line (16 of 27). The Tigers knocked down 19-of-21 from the line
“It’s unacceptable,” Rueben Chinyelu said. “It’s called ‘free’ for a reason.”
A main component of the Gators’ previous success was Chinyelu, who was kept to just two boards in the first half.
The junior is the reigning SEC Player of the Week and USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week. The accolades came as the center picked up four consecutive double-doubles heading into Saturday. Chinyelu was held to his lowest point total (10) since Jan. 3 against Missouri.
“We pride ourselves on being a mentally and physically tough team. I don’t think we were either of those tonight,” Gators coach Todd Golden said.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
