TAMPA, FL. – With Florida trailing by 12 with 3:17 remaining in the second half, it appeared the many Gators fans that made their way to Amalie Arena on Thursday afternoon would file out quietly.
Not quite.
The Gators, who trailed by as many as 16 points on four occasions, including midway through the second half, roared back before losing to Texas A&M in overtime, 83-80, on Hassan Diarra’s three-pointer with four-tenths of a second remaining.
The defeat made it one-and-done in the SEC tournament for Mike White’s team.
Florida entered the tourney on the NCAA bubble and needing to win two, and possibly three games this week to go dancing a fifth straight time. Alas, the Aggies, also on the bubble, advance to play top-seed and fourth-ranked Auburn on Friday afternoon.
“Our guys showed increasing resilience, as they have all season,” said White. “We put ourselves in position to steal it. I am proud of the character of these guys.”
Florida (19-13) struggled mightily beyond the arc all day, missing its first seven attempts and making only one of their first 14 before finishing 5-for-24. They also turned the ball over 13 times in the game’s first 25 minutes and finished with 18 turnovers.
Yet, it was Kowacie Reeves’ three-pointer from the corner in front of the Gators’ bench with 17 seconds remaining in regulation that forced overtime and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
It was Reeves’ four-point play with 35 seconds left that brought the Gators to within 68-67 and ultimately set the stage for his game-tying shot.
The Gators took an 80-78 lead on a jumper by Phlandrous Fleming with 48 seconds remaining in OT. The Aggies tied it following an overturned call that changed a UF possession into a Fleming foul, with A&M’s Tyrece Radford making a pair of free throws.
“A two-hour microcosm of the season,” said White, of his team’s ups and down this season. “We have come out on the wrong side too many times.”
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