Gators run out of gas — and 3s — in SEC Tourney loss to Auburn
NASHVILLE — After making a season-high 14 3-pointers to advance to the SEC Tournament final, the Gators’ well ran dry from downtown Sunday. They ran out of gas as well in their 86-67 loss to Auburn, playing their fourth game in as many days.
Florida also lost starting center Micah Handlogten to a fractured lower left leg just two minutes into the game. He had to be carted off the floor and the scary scene in Bridgestone Arena was difficult for UF to recover from.
“Losing him early kind of affected us a little bit,” Gators forward Tyrese Samuel said of Handlogten. “We were trying to win the championship for him.”
Handlogten will undergo surgery at Vanderbilt University on Sunday. UF coach Todd Golden teared up in his postgame press conference when asked about him.
“It’s tough, man, ’cause he’s a great kid. You just hate to see it for him because he does everything the right way,” Golden said. “Losing him so early to such a serious injury, just human nature took over a little bit. Guys were emotional.
“We had guys, whether it was players or staff members, in tears on the sideline, just trying to kind of compose ourselves. Having that variable in the equation against one of the best teams in America is tough to deal with. We fought.”
Florida trailed from start to finish, cutting the deficit to one with 17 minutes left to play after opening the second half with a 14-4 run. The Tigers responded with a 10-0 run of their own and led by double digits for the final 11:51, pushing the lead to 21.
After becoming the first team to score 90 points in back-to-back SEC Tournament games since Kentucky in 1996, the Gators finished with just 67 points — one-point shy of their season-low 66.
“I thought they did a good job being physical, making our looks tough,” said Zyon Pullin, who had a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds. “They were converting on the other end some of the stuff, did a good job. We just gotta find ways to learn from it.”
Florida could not overcome a tough shooting day, going .364 from the floor. The Gators had shot .478 from the field and .429 from 3-point range through their three SEC Tournament wins.
Florida made just one 3-pointer in 13 attempts, shooting a season-worst 8 percent from downtown. The previous low this season was four treys against LSU and a .227 percentage at Tennessee.
“We didn’t play our best today, but our effort was there, our intent was there, our heart was in the right place, head in the right place. Just ran into a team that was playing really, really well,” Golden said.
“Tough one for us today. But for us to get to this championship game this year, to knock off the teams we did, still incredibly proud of our team. I’m excited to get back on track for the tournament next week.”
The Gators earned a No. 7 seed in the South Region and will face either Boise State or Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Indianapolis.
They’ll have heavy hearts when they take the court again.
“We really care about him. He’s part of our family,” Samuel said of Handlogten. “We’re going to go out there next week and keep on playing for him.”
