Kasey Hill picked up his dribble with 19 seconds left, took two steps into the paint, fought through a wall of LSU defenders and laid a layup off the glass.
He made nine of Florida’s final 10 points.
He led a second-half scoring barrage that saw the Gators more than double their first half output.
But his effort wasn’t enough, and Florida fell 96-91 to LSU on the road Saturday night, dropping its third-straight game for the first time this season and shrinking further away from NCAA Tournament eligibility.
“We didn’t deserve to win this game,” UF coach Mike White said. “The way we came out in the first half and defended, (just) not as much energy as we needed.”
The Gators (17-12, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) surged toward the end of the game, scoring 27 points in the final 3:14.
But prior to its late-game push, Florida’s offense was largely stagnant.
The Gators led for only 2:16 in the first half before falling into an 18-point deficit to start the second, and never led again.
And while Florida’s offense was marred by inconsistencies and sloppy play — Florida’s 16 turnovers tied its second-highest total of the season — its defense wasn’t much better.
LSU (17-12, 9-7 SEC) shot 55.8 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from the three-point line.
“I don’t know what the deal is with our guys, whether or not they were a little bit too keyed up or too emotional,” White said. “We just got off to a slow start on the road.”
Center John Egbunu led the Gators with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, followed by Hill with 16 points, three assists and five turnovers.
Redshirt senior Dorian-Finney Smith fouled out with 22 seconds left and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
LSU guard Antonio Blakeney scored a career-high 32 points, the second-most points Florida has allowed an opposing player to score all season.
Florida returns home to face No. 16 Kentucky on Tuesday, and with just two games left before the SEC Tournament starts, Florida has little margin for error if it hopes to make the NCAA Tournament in March.
“We had our chances,” White said. “We just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Ian Cohen at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
UF’s Kasey Hill prepares to drive during Florida’s 95-63 win against Auburn on Jan. 23, 2016, in the O’Connell Center.
