It's hard to lose when you can't miss.
The Gators (20-7, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) hit 58.2 percent of their shots, including 11 of 23 from beyond the arc, in a tense 85-82 win against lowly South Carolina (12-13, 4-7 SEC) Wednesday night at home.
UF found its shooting touch at just the right time. After losing four of their last five games, the Gators needed this one if they planned to keep their tournament hopes alive.
In the locker room following the win, the players seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Junior Walter Hodge, who scored 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, said if the Gators didn't win this game, their NCAA Tournament chances were likely gone.
Forward Dan Werner agreed and said he was just happy to relax.
"Thankfully we don't have to worry about this one anymore," Werner said.
In the final minutes, the contest - and the season - swayed in the balance.
After trailing by as many as 15 in the second half, South Carolina staged a furious comeback, and after Evaldas Baniulis, who connected on six 3-pointers in the game, hit his second from downtown within 11 seconds, the Gamecocks trailed by just 2 with 18 seconds remaining.
Guard Nick Calathes was immediately fouled, and with 16.3 seconds remaining had a chance to ice the game but missed one of two from the charity stripe. Devan Downey quickly scored on the other end to bring the score to 83-82.
Jai Lucas then made two from the line and with 7.5 seconds left, the stage was set for South Carolina.
The Gators elected to foul Downey, preventing a potential game-tying shot. Downey missed the front end of the one-and-one, and the game was over.
"With the way they were shooting the ball," UF coach Billy Donovan said. "I didn't want to take any chances."
The choice to foul was likely a response to UF's poor defensive night.
The Gators allowed South Carolina to shoot 50 percent and hit 12 of its 23 shots from beyond the arc.
The defensive struggle was a letdown for Donovan, who felt his team might have turned a corner after giving up just 61 points to Vanderbilt's high-octane offense.
Donovan's frustration boiled over during the first half, when the Gators failed to get back on defense after a thunderous dunk by Marreese Speights. South Carolina's Dwayne Day hit a 3-pointer and Donovan appeared ready to explode on the bench.
"It was just immature," Donovan said. "Marreese Speights dunks, whether it was a great dunk or an average dunk, it certainly wasn't anything like what I saw in the dunk contest with Dwight Howard. Those guys are sitting there celebrating and it just boggles my mind."
Werner, who had hit just nine of his last 49 3-pointers, was 5 of 7 from the field, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.
The sophomore, who made his bald home debut, finished with 15 points and three rebounds.
"It's not about how your hair looks," Werner said. "It's how you shoot the ball."
Calathes led the way with 17 points and seven assists. Freshman Adam Allen played well coming off the bench, tallying 9 points in as many minutes.
UF now has a week off to work out the kinks before heading to Georgia next Wednesday.
South Carolina 82
| Player | Min. | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
| Downey, D. | 38 | 18 | 1 | 7 |
| Archie, D. | 34 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Baniulis, E. | 32 | 18 | 6 | 1 |
| Day, D. | 31 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| Fredrick, Z. | 27 | 9 | 1 | 3 |
| Holmes, M. | 29 | 16 | 11 | 0 |
| R-Ross, B. | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
UF 85
| Player | Min. | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
| Lucas, J. | 37 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| Calathes, N. | 32 | 17 | 4 | 7 |
| Werner, D. | 30 | 15 | 3 | 3 |
| Hodge, W. | 29 | 14 | 2 | 3 |
| Speights, M. | 26 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| Mitchell, J. | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Parsons, C. | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Allen, A. | 9 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| Tyus, A. | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
