On the verge of earning a marquee victory on the road to open conference play, Florida fifth-year forward Colin Castleton held the attention of a 9,121-person crowd.
The last time Auburn and Florida played each other, the Gators came away with a win after it stopped the Tigers on the last play of the game. This time, Florida found itself on the losing side as its last-chance heave fell short.
The Florida Gators (7-6, 0-1) fell to the No. 20 Auburn Tigers (11-2, 1-0) on the road Wednesday to open Southeastern Conference play. Despite holding Auburn to 38% from the field, the Tigers’ 17 offensive rebounds were too much for the Gators to overcome.
The Gators looked good on defense to start the game as it played high-pressure man-to-man defense. Junior guard Trey Bonham ripped the ball away from the Tigers in the first 25 seconds of the game.
However, Bonham turned the ball over on the fastbreak. Auburn senior forward Jaylin Williams drilled a three after the UF turnover.
Florida struggled to score over the next few minutes and Auburn got out to an early 7-0 lead. UF shot 2-7 from the court through the first five minutes of the game.
The Gators continued playing tight defense to keep the Tigers from scoring for three and a half minutes. A midrange jumper by junior guard K.D. Johnson put Auburn back on the scoreboard, giving it a 9-5 lead.
A high-rising layup by sophomore guard Kowacie Reeves gave Florida its first lead of the game, 14-13.
Auburn controlled the paint in the first half. The Tigers grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and allowed only 12 Florida points in the paint in the opening half. Castleton, Florida’s leader in points per game, only had two points in the first half.
The Gators’ rebounding struggles continued, but they were able to take the lead during a two-minute stretch of eight unanswered points. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Auburn junior guard Wendell Green Jr kept the Tigers within three points, 26-23, going into halftime.
Florida’s defense was the highlight of the first half. Auburn — which averages 44.7% from the field — only made 29% of its first-half shots. Castleton was a defensive force inside and had three of UF’s four blocks in the first half.
Auburn stayed in the game as the second half began. Bonham fouled the Tigers twice within two minutes, and Auburn hit all four of its free throws.
A second-chance basket by Auburn sophomore forward Johni Broome gave the lead back to Auburn, 32-30.
The Gators and Tigers continued to exchange blows as the second half progressed. The game was tied four times over the next five minutes.
Auburn’s full-court defense gave Florida trouble, but big shots kept the Gators in the game. Reeves and graduate student guard Myreon Jones connected on 3-pointers to give Florida a narrow lead midway through the half.
The teams were knotted at 54 each after a four-point run by the Tigers with around three and a half minutes left in the game.
Bonham — who shoots 75% from the charity stripe — was fouled by Auburn graduate student guard Zep Jasper. He missed the first of a one-and-one opportunity at the line.
Broome took advantage with a dunk on the other end of the court, and Auburn took a 56-54 lead.
Down 59-58 with 24 seconds remaining, Florida sophomore forward Alex Fudge snatched the ball out of the air off a pass from Williams to give the Gators the opportunity for the last possession.
Florida head coach Todd Golden called a timeout to draw up a potential game-winning play for UF. The Gators found themselves with a chance to snap Auburn’s 25-game home winning streak.
Florida inbounded the ball, and Castleton — who had the ball near the left wing — drove to the paint. Williams stopped Castleton’s drive, and Broome stripped the ball from the Florida big man.
Green scored on the fastbreak, and a heave by Florida graduate student guard Kyle Lofton failed to go through the hoop. The clock expired with the Tigers ahead of Florida, 61-58.
The Gators will return to Gainesville to face the Texas A&M Aggies at 7 p.m. Jan 4 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
