TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Florida’s game-winning play came on a floater that Billy Donovan thought “rolled around the rim forever,” but the game-saving play came seconds later from a player who scored no points Thursday night.
Sophomore point guard Erving Walker put the Gators ahead with 11 seconds left, and senior forward Dan Werner knocked away an inbounds pass in the final seconds to give UF a 66-65 win against Alabama in Coleman Coliseum.
Walker, who finished with 16 points, drove past Alabama guard Anthony Brock and put up a shot that hit seemingly every part of the rim before falling and giving the Gators (16-6, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) a one-point lead over the Crimson Tide (13-9, 3-5 SEC).
“Brock was playing good defense on me throughout the game, but I knew I could get by him,” Walker said. “I just had to go to the hole strong. I had open floor, just me and him, and I was able to get by him.”
With a lead secured, UF could only avoid a two-game losing streak by stopping Alabama in the final 11 seconds. Junior power forward Alex Tyus, who scored a team-high 19 points, blocked Mikhail Torrance’s runner out of bounds to set up the final play of the game with just over three seconds remaining.
Alabama freshman Tony Mitchell took the ball out of bounds and attempted to lob it into the lane to forward JaMychal Green, but Werner slammed the ball all the way to the other side of the court, letting time expire as the Tide desperately chased after it.
Werner scored zero points, but his teammates and Donovan praised the senior’s awareness on the final play.
“Dan’s smart,” Walker said. “He’s been here for a long time. He knows all the tricks. That was a really heady play.”
Donovan said the inbounds play was not one Alabama coach Anthony Grant had used before, which made preparing his team for the play during the timeout far more difficult.
Grant, a longtime assistant under Donovan, said the play he drew up in the huddle wasn’t good enough, and he didn’t think he would sleep Thursday night given the way it turned out.
“That one’s on me,” Grant said. “I take full blame for that.”
The final seconds brought about redemption for Walker and Werner, whose mistakes turned UF’s four-point lead with about a minute to go into a one-point game. Brock stole the ball from Walker near halfcourt and sped down the floor for a fast-break layup, which he turned into a three-point play after Werner fouled him.
Walker also struggled to score in the first half, getting just two points on three shots in the opening period, but he penetrated from the wing more after halftime — something he and freshman guard Kenny Boynton were able to do with junior forward Chandler Parsons running the offense.
Donovan said whether Parsons plays more point guard the rest of the season will depend on how much pressure opponents put on Walker.
“When a guy’s playing (36) minutes and he’s his size, to be under that type of duress every single possession — we’ve got to find a way to relieve him a little bit,” Donovan said of Walker.
The Gators won’t have much time to savor the win, as UF will match up with Mississippi State (16-6, 4-3 SEC) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the O’Connell Center.
“Everybody knows the goal is to make the NCAA Tournament,” Walker said. “If we’re going to do that, we’ve got to get these types of wins.”
