Looking for their first win at Rupp Arena since 2007 the Florida
Gators went cold at the worst possible time, as Kentucky finished the
game on an 11-0 run to defeat the Gators, 61-57, Saturday afternoon.
Florida
(24-6, 14-4 SEC) grabbed a 57-50 with 7:36 to go after back-to-back
three-pointer from Erik Murphy and Scottie Wilbekin but failed to score
the remainder of the way. Trailing 59-57 with :16 remaining, Kenny
Boynton’s 16-foot jumper rimmed in-and-about. The rebound went off of
Patric Young and Kentucky (21-10, 12-6) iced the game with some late
free throws.
Erik Murphy led Florida with 17 points and 11
rebounds. Patric Young added 10 points. The Gators hit just 40 percent
from the floor and 5-14 from three-point range.
It was a game of
runs as Kentucky came out with energy and a sense of urgency on senior
day, racing out to an 11-2 lead. Florida responded and methodically
worked its way back in behind the combo of Erik Murphy and Kenny
Boynton, and took a 29-24 lead late in the first half. The Wildcats
closed the half on a 7-2 run and the game went into the locker room
tied, 31-31.
Kentucky came out of the locker room strong to start
the second half and built a seven-point advantage, taking a 45-38 lead.
The Gators got back into the game when Willie Cauley-Stein picked up
his fourth foul with 13:42 to go. The Gators went on an immediate 8-0
run to grab the lead and ultimately, a 19-5 run that had the Gators in
position for a rare win at Rupp.
Down the stretch, however, the
Gators were unable to finish offensive possessions, and the finish
became eerily familiar to losses at Arizona and Missouri.
With
the regular season in the books, the Gators turn their attention to the
postseason now, starting with the SEC Tournament in Nashville. The
Gators will be the No. 1 overall seed and will open Friday afternoon at 1
p.m. against an opponent to be determined on Thursday.
