Florida’s Thomas Haugh scores on a slam on a pass from center Alex Condon. The Gators once again feature a strong post presence, with Rueben Chinyelu as a key contributor. Photo courtesy of UAA Communications.
No. 18 Florida fought No. 5 UConn all evening, but Solo Ball hit a three and Malachi Smith scored on a reverse layup with his Euro-Step for a separating 12-5 run that gave the Huskies a 77-73 win over the Gators in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday evening.
Guard Xaivian Lee led Florida with 19 points while Thomas Haugh scored 18. The Gators outshot the Huskies, but UConn outrebounded Florida, 40-28, and had 11 more free throws in what was one of the season’s most physical battles.
“I thought he had his best game in a Gator uniform,” Golden said of Lee. “He kept us in the game early, but I tell him this all the time – he’s got to shoot a little better, 1-for-7 isn’t good enough, but I thought he played a great floor game.”
Ball led the Huskies with 19 points while Alex Karaban scored 13 and Tarris Reid, Jr., connected for 12.
“Obviously, pressure and we fell short again, against an elite opponent,” said Gators coach Todd Golden. “This was similar to how we played Arizona, how we played Duke. We did some good things, but not enough to get over the hump and get one of these done.”
Florida is 5-4 with losses to Arizona, Duke, TCU, and UConn by a total of 15 combined points. KenPom.com still has the Gators ranked No. 15 as Golden put together a tough schedule, which would challenge Florida and allow the Gators to see where and how they can improve after the championship season.
For over three minutes in the second half, the two teams traded leads. Haugh gave the Gators their last lead at 55-54 with 8:02 remaining on a strong spin move in the lane via a Lee assist.
“Obviously, we played better in the second half,” analyzed Golden. “Held them to 41 from the field. I thought we had an opportunity in the second half to extend when we took a little bit of a lead and then missed some shots.”
The Gators average 14.4 turnovers per game, but only committed nine on Tuesday as they outscored the Huskies, 17-8, by converting UConn’s mistakes into scores.
“I thought we did a good job taking care of the ball tonight,” commented Golden. “We have got to shoot it a little bit better, and we have got to capitalize on our second chances.”
Superior Second-Half Turnaround Lifts No.10 BYU: Cougars guard Robert Wright III stepped between Clemson guards Chase Thompson and Efrem Johnson and took an inbounds pass from forward Mihailo Boskovic. Wright scored on a buzzer-beater from about 35 feet, and BYU knocked off Clemson, 67-65, in the first game of the Jimmy V Classic.
“It doesn’t matter what the play is, it doesn’t matter if I had 50 that game,” said AJ Dybantsa. “Whoever is open gets the ball. That’s the kind of trust we have in our team. They decided to double me. He (Wright) shoots 45 percent from 3. I’ll take that.”
Wright tied the game at 22-22 with 6:59 remaining in the first half, but BYU went 0-of-10 from the floor with two turnovers to end the half and trail, 43-22, at the break.
Dybantsa scored 22 of his 28 points after halftime when he took over the game and seemingly led BYU from the abyss. The Cougars struggled with ball movement and Clemson’s physical nature. The Tigers played the first half in the half-court and were able to get into their offensive sets and produce.
“I thought we were kind of blank and a little lifeless in the first half, honestly,” said coach Kevin Young. “I challenged the guys to come out more with a competitive spirit. I thought it showed its head more on the glass. They hurt us quite a bit.”
The Cougars’ defense came onto the scene with immediacy after halftime as the Tigers were 2-of-21 from the floor with seven turnovers through the first 15:15. Center Keba Keita allowed Brigham Young to reassume the lead at 55-54 with dunks on back-to-back possessions.