Southeastern Conference play isn't always pretty.
In an ugly and sometimes stagnant 72-56 win against Auburn at home Saturday, UF found a way to keep its conference record unblemished, despite being outplayed and outworked throughout.
The Gators (15-2, 2-0 SEC) scored 11 straight points to end the contest, making the game look like a cakewalk despite actually being far from it.
UF was outrebounded 35-29, shot just 8 of 25 from beyond the arc and trailed by as many as 7 early on.
UF, led by freshman Jai Lucas, was able to widen the gap down the stretch and end any chance of an upset by a struggling Auburn (9-5, 0-2 SEC) team.
Lucas scored 7 straight points in UF's late run, including three shots with one, seven and six seconds left on the shot clock. Lucas finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.
"I just did what the team needed," Lucas said. "I wasn't trying to do anything spectacular. I didn't have it in my head or anything. I was just trying to help us win the game."
UF coach Billy Donovan said after the game he was pleased with Lucas' toughness and maturity, but expressed concern regarding the team's offensive breakdown.
"I thought our team put him in some bad situations," Donovan said. "I thought Jai played tough and made big shots, but like I said earlier, I don't know if I feel comfortable relying on him having to make those shots on a regular basis."
The Gators started the game slowly, giving up 7 consecutive points to open the game and prompting Donovan to call a timeout. UF bounced back and took the lead at 13-12 when Dan Werner scored on an easy layup.
Donovan spoke about his team's ability to hang in and keep fighting in the face of adversity.
"I was happy with our guys, I was proud of the way they played, the way they bounced back," he said. "After Alabama, I thought we showed a lot of maturity in trying to handle a road win and what type of focus we would come back with."
UF led by just 4 at the half, taking a 33-29 lead into the locker room after a woeful 3-of-13 performance from beyond the arc.
The Gators picked up the pace coming out of the gate and began to press the Tigers on both ends of the court.
Guard Nick Calathes, who scored 16 points and dished five assists, credited the Gators' increased defensive pressure as a turning point in the game.
"I think our press helps our game go up and down, which is where we want to be," Calathes said. "I think we definitely got better in the second half and turned up the pressure."
Werner was replaced by Jonathan Mitchell in the starting lineup, citing a foot sprain suffered in last week's win against Alabama. The sophomore still managed to play 30 minutes and turn in another stellar performance, tallying 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
Calathes dubbed Werner UF's "garbage man," a role Werner is thriving in.
"Rebounding, boxing out, all the little things nobody sees, he does," Calathes said. "I think Dan knows he's one of the toughest guys on the team."
