No. 3 florida gators take on unranked georgia bulldogs
The No. 3 ranked Florida Gators Traveled to Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia to take on the unranked Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday.
The Gators came into the game with a 24-3 record, and a big comeback win against The LSU Tigers. The Bulldogs came in with a 16-11 record, and four straight losses. All of those losses came against ranked SEC opponents.
The Bulldogs came out of the gates hot. They took a 26 point lead with 7:53 to go in the first half. With a 39-13 lead, the Gators were officially on upset watch.
The Gators showed signs of life to finish out the first half. They cut the deficit down to 16 heading into the locker rooms. The only bright spot for the Gators in the first half was Will Richard who put the team on his back with 17 points at the half.
The second half saw a much more competitive game than the first. Will Richard continued to carry the team early in the second half. He scored seven points in the first three minutes of the half.
The Gators gradually ate into the Bulldogs lead. A Walter Clayton Jr. layup brought the game within 10 at 56-66 with 11:43 left. The Bulldogs kept their lead at eight or more until the final three minutes of the game.
A big Walter Clayton Jr. three pointer put the game at 75-78. Alex Condon followed up the Clayton Jr. layup with two free throws to put it at 77-78. A Georgia miss followed by a Thomas Haugh layup gave the Gators their first lead
The Bulldogs followed up the Florida run with a 6-0 run of their own, led by three Asa Newell free throws. Walter Clayton Jr. put up a big three with 0:06 left to put the deficit at 86-83. Silas Demary Jr. hit two free throws to ice the game, and give the Bulldogs the 88-83.
The Bulldog faithful stormed the court following the final buzzer.The majority of the capacity crowd stayed all the way until the end.
This game ends the season series between the two teams at one game a piece. Florida won the first meeting 89-59 in Gainesville.
Senior guard Will Richard led the gators with 30 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. was the only other player for the Gators in double digits with 18 points. Georgia was led by Sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. who had 21 points, and two steals. The Bulldogs had five players in double digits, including Asa Newell who had 15.
The loss drops the Gators to 24-4, and third place in the SEC with an 11-4 conference record. They will host the Twelfth ranked Texas A&M Aggies on Sunday night.
The Win put The Bulldogs at 17-11, and twelfth in the SEC with a 5-10 conference record. They will travel to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns on Sunday night.
Mason Garcia
DiSportsPhotoAgency
Associate Writer
