Kasey Hill knifed through a forest of players like a speeding predator toward its prey. He ripped the ball out of the hands of South Carolina forward Sedee Keita and sprinted down the court. Florida’s 6-foot-1 guard was all alone when he leapt into the air and kissed the ball off the glass and into the basket.
With nearly six minutes expired in the first half, it was the first score of the game — by either team.
Just a few seconds later, Hill forced another steal, this time picking the pocket of Gamecocks guard Rakym Felder, and converted another uncontested layup.
It became a familiar sight in a first half that saw Hill register 11 points and four steals.
But that all vanished once the second half started.
Hill fouled out of the game with under two minutes to play, leaving graduate transfer Canyon Barry as Florida’s only source of offense for the rest of the night. The 6-foot-6 guard led the Gators with 13 points, but it wasn’t enough.
With the sound of the final buzzer reverberating across Colonial Life Arena, No. 24 South Carolina (15-3, 5-0 SEC) snapped No. 19 Florida’s seven-game win streak with a 57-53 victory in Columbia on Wednesday night.
“They were terrific defensively,” UF coach Mike White said of the Gamecocks. “They didn’t allow for many open shots, and the few open ones we got, we just didn’t convert.”
From the opening tip, both teams set the tone with their defense, while neither team could get started on offense. Florida and South Carolina shot just 38.7 percent and 23.3 percent from the field in the opening frame, respectively. While Hill was the Gators’ primary scorer in the half, forward Devin Robinson chipped in six points and five rebounds. And after a free throw by Hill and an unanswered prayer, half-court airball by Sindarius Thornwell, the Gators (14-4, 5-1 SEC) went into the locker room with a 28-21 lead.
The Gamecocks came out to play in the final half, though.
South Carolina, sparked by gritty defense and the overpowering play of the 6-foot-5, 211-pound Thornwell — who led all scorers with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting — went on a 14-2 run in almost an eight-minute span. The Gators, meanwhile, went 0-of-9 from the field to let the Gamecocks back in the game.
“You can’t dance against a team like this,” White said. “When you’re playing cat-and-mouse, creating indecision for the ball handler … they’re really quick, and they’re really strong at the guard spots.”
As South Carolina's offense started to catch up to its defense, Barry kept Florida afloat and within striking distance.
However, with 16 seconds left and the Gators down three, UF guard Chris Chiozza threw an errant pass out of bounds as Barry backed up toward the corner three-point line.
One Thornwell free throw later and the game was out of reach, and despite 15 turnovers and 29.4-percent shooting, the Gamecocks held on.
For the game, South Carolina held Florida to 35.2-percent shooting and UF missed all of its 17 three-point attempts.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been apart of something like that,” White said. “We’ve got some things to work on offensively.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Florida head coach Mike White communicates with players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
