By Ken Cross
SAN ANTONIO – Florida point guard Walter Clayton, Jr., highlighted the reason why he is a first-team All-American, and the Florida Gators’ defense rose in the second half as they toppled Auburn, 79-73, in the opener of the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators’ second-half defensive effort complemented Clayton as Auburn only managed to make 8-of-24 field goals and were 3-of-10 from three in that second 20 minutes.
Clayton finished 8-of-11 from the floor with 34 points as he was 11-of-18 from the field with five threes in 35 minutes.
Florida led 66-65 with 4:47 to play before Clayton scored eight consecutive points over a late three-minute stretch. He found driving lanes and when he converted an old school three-point play on a drive off of the left side, and then made his free throw, he gave the Gators a 74-68 lead with 1:33 remaining.
“He’s poised, calm and collected, confident in himself,” explained guard Will Richard. “We have that confidence in him. We see him practice, see his work ethic. We’re glad everybody else is getting to see him do it in a game.”
Forward Thomas Haugh complemented Clayton down the stretch when he scored six of his 12 points in the last 7:04.
Defensively, the Gators held Auburn to 1-of-6 from the floor with three turnovers to begin the second half and take a 51-49 lead on a Clayton layup with 14:47 to play. Florida enjoyed a 13-3 run out of halftime when they were quicker to the ball on defense and they were able to incessantly challenge Auburn’s shots.
“We were able to turn up our pressure a little bit defensively,” noted Gators head coach Todd Golden. “Got them on their heels offensively. We started just guarding more physically in the paint, making it harder for them to put the ball in the basket.”
Twelve second half Tigers’ turnovers were a major catalyst in how Florida was able to take command.
“Florida’s effort and energy, the fact that we’re not as deep as what we normally are, was a factor,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “I thought fatigue was a factor. As a result, we weren’t able to maintain control of the game.”
Auburn led 46-38 at halftime when the Tigers outscored Florida, 26-14 in the paint in the first half.
Tigers post Johni Broome finished with 15 points, making 6-of-14 shots, but he found only four shots in playing 18 minutes in the second half. Broome had a tough week as he worked to recover his hyper-extended elbow and ankle injuries and his focus allowed him to play 34 minutes on Saturday.
“I thought Auburn played great in the first half,” said Golden. “We did some nice things, but we did not have an answer for their physicality in the paint. They were 13-of-18 from two.”
Chad Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with 18 points, making 6-of-10 shots and four threes in 29 minutes.