‘Disappointing loss’: Todd Golden reacts to Florida falling at UGA

Despite Will Richard’s career-high 30 points and a late rally, the No. 3 Florida Gators couldn’t complete the comeback Tuesday in their 88-83 loss at Georgia.

Here’s everything UF coach Todd Golden said after the loss to the Bulldogs.

RELATED: Live Blog: Georgia 88, Florida 83

Opening statement:

TODD GOLDEN: “Disappointing loss. Credit to Georgia, I thought they played great in the first half and stepped up to the moment in a game they needed, played that way for the first 20 minutes. We just put ourselves in too big of a hole, obviously, getting down by 26 points 13 minutes into the game is not ideal when you’re trying to win a basketball game. But I am really proud of our guys. I thought in that type of adverse situation, we showed a lot of heart, showed a lot of grit to be able to get back to the point where we had a lead with one minute to go in this game is pretty incredible. Weren’t able to make enough plays down the stretch. We needed one more stop and couldn’t get it and fell a little short.”

On the game’s atmosphere:

TODD GOLDEN: “The crowd was great. They showed up, they did a good job. You know, it’s something that we’re a little used to, honestly, going on the road this year and playing in front of good crows. But they had a good crowd tonight, for sure.”

On Georgia’s hot start:

TODD GOLDEN: “They made a lot of shots. We didn’t make them miss enough; that’s really all it was. We turned them over. I think they had 10 turnovers in the first half, so it wasn’t necessarily an issue of that. They shot 68 percent for the first half. They were 7-for-9 from three, made their free throws. They stepped up in this moment in this first half and answered the bell. Obviously, the second half was a much different story. They shot 38 percent, they tightened up a little bit, allowed us to get back in the ballgame. They made some big shots in the first half. [Asa] Newell hit a couple threes. I thought [Silas] Demary was very physical and did a good job getting to the paint in the first half. Those were the main guys I thought we struggles with.”

On Florida shooting 36% in the first half:

TODD GOLDEN: “I thought we got caught up in the moment early, probably didn’t play with enough poise offensively during their offensive output and got ourselves into some positions where we weren’t running very good offense. They have good rim protection. They’re long. They’re athletic. They give you some problems around the rim, and we just didn’t execute well enough. We didn’t get our two-man games low enough. There were a lot of things that we could’ve done better, but at the end of the day we also didn’t shoot the free throws very well tonight. We left a lot [at the free throw line]. We made four less free throws than they did on two more attempts. That was kind of the story of the game from the field, as well. We shot 66 shots, they only shot 52. The math is usually going to go in your favor when that happens. But again, they had an elite first half. Multiple guys played very, very well. A 26-point hole is not something you generally want to put yourself in when you’re trying to win a basketball game.”

On Georgia’s desperation for a win:

TODD GOLDEN: “I mean, I sensed it. I’m also – you know, they needed this game to make the tournament. That’s not rocket science, you know, at least from our perspective. Like, we knew them being a bubble team, this was an opportunity for them to get a great win. And, obviously, coach [Mike] White’s a very good coach, they’re a good program and they were going to be prepared to play well against us, and I thought they played exceptionally well for the first half.”

On the comeback at LSU giving the Gators confidence:

TODD GOLDEN: “Little different circumstances. You know we were down four at halftime I think, you know, we were down 16 tonight. But listen, our team is very mature. We have a very good team. And you know, for the circumstance, I thought our guys did a great job of kind of keeping their head and keeping their composure. Even in the second half when we had some runs and Georgia came back and made a play or two, we stayed the course. Obviously, that was a huge 13-0 run late that allowed us to get the lead.”

On Will Richard’s performance:

TODD GOLDEN: “Will is a great leader, and he does a great job of kind of keeping us balanced. He stepped up. He made some really, really big-time plays, obviously 30 points, three assists, one turnover, five rebounds. He did a great job of kind of keeping us in the game. But I thought our whole team, collectively, in the second half did a good job keeping our head. You know, we kept fighting. Even as I just said, when we made a little run and they answered back, we stayed the course, and it allowed us to take the lead late. Again, I sound like a broken record, but we just put ourselves in too big of a hole to be able to come back and expect to play perfect down the stretch. We almost did it, but we fell a little short.”

On Alex Condon’s first game back:

TODD GOLDEN: “I mean, he didn’t finish great, but I thought he played really hard and physical. You know, got busted in the mouth where he’s bleeding all over the place, and it’s not a foul. You know, it’s incidental contact. Got kind of a little low-bridged on that breakaway, gets pushed in the back, ends up in the basket support. You know, the guy got beat up again tonight, but he’s tough and he’s going to keep fighting. I thought he did a good job making free throws down the stretch. I think he’ll continue to get back into his rhythm.”

On Florida forcing 17 turnovers:

TODD GOLDEN: “We did a good job at times with our ball pressure. I really think that’s the key. Doing a good job of – you know, they play a little similarly to us offensively with their two bigs. When their big has the ball in the middle of the floor, I thought we did a good job with our ball pressure and denying the wings. And then really late, and it’s not a situation we’ve been in very often this year where we have nothing to lose. You know, we’re playing the last eight minutes with our hair on fire, taking a couple chances here and there, Georgia’s trying to protect the lead. It’s usually a reverse situation for us where we’re trying to get to the finish line, and I thought we took advantage of that. You know, they’re in a situation where they’re trying to bleed clock a little bit. We’re being aggressive, shooting passing lanes, getting some runouts and getting some layups. I thought we did a good job taking advantage of that late, and I think that’s why we were able to turn them over as much as we did.”