Gators come up short in overtime loss at Alabama

The newly-ranked Gators had their three-game winning streak snapped Wednesday with a 98-93 overtime loss at No. 13 Alabama. The Crimson Tide came back from a double-digit deficit and defeated Florida in OT for the first time this season (3-0 prior).

After Alabama scored seven straight points in the extra period to take a 92-85 lead, UF rallied with an 8-2 run and cut the deficit to one. The Tide’s Rylan Griffen then missed a 3, but Aaron Estrada grabbed the offensive rebound and scored with 7 seconds left.

Walter Clayton Jr. missed a potential game-tying 3 on the ensuing possession and Alabama added two more free throws from Mark Sears, who also made a pair of foul shots in the final minute of the second half to tie the score at 85.

“Obviously a disappointing result for us. For the majority of the game, we played pretty well,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “I didn’t think we played great at the beginning of overtime, and we just weren’t able to dig ourselves out of that hole. We got a couple looks to tie it, and I’m disappointed in the result but I’m definitely not discouraged in our effort.”

With 30 seconds left in regulation, Clayton couldn’t connect on a go-ahead 3 and Zyon Pullin missed a jumper off an offensive rebound by Micah Handlogten. Sears had a chance for the game-winning shot in the final seconds, but Handlogten rejected him at the rim.

Clayton led all scorers with 27 points, one shy of his season high, marking his fourth straight 20-point game and 10th overall this season. He was one of five Gators in double figures, along with Pullin (17), Will Richard (17), Tyrese Samuel (14) and Alex Condon (10). Handlogten logged a team-high 13 rebounds and three blocks.

“To come in here against a top-five team analytically and to be in the lead for 30 minutes, I think, says a lot about the growth of our program and where we’ve come over the last couple months. We’re playing like one of the best teams in America right now,” Golden said. “I’m disappointed about the outcome. I thought there were some 50-50 things down the stretch that didn’t go our way. … But in a tight game like that, there’s going to be some situations like that that you’ve got to power through.”

Alabama had a pair of 20-point scorers in Grant Nelson (22) and Estrada (20), who grabbed eight rebounds include the late offensive board. Sears (17), Sam Walters (14) and Nick Pringle (13) also scored in double figures for the Tide, who were without sharpshooter Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (head injury).

The 24th-ranked Gators built a 10-point lead in the second half — their largest of the game — and led 76-67 with 6:11 left. From there, Alabama went on a 10-0 run to pull ahead with 4:25 left, taking its first lead since 11:47 mark of the first half.

Tied at 20 midway through the first half, the Gators built an 8-point lead with a 10-2 run. Alabama, which ranked second nationally in 3-pointers (296), 3-point attempts (768) and 3-pointers per game (11.8), opened the game just 1-for-17 from downtown (5.8%).

Florida started out 5-for-11 from behind the arc and led 41-37 at halftime. The Tide didn’t hit their second 3-pointer until the 2:32 mark on a possession where they made four offensive rebounds. They did outscore UF 28-18 in the paint in the first half and 56-40 for the game along with a 54-44 rebounding edge.

“We offensive rebounded very well. We got 17 of our 50 misses back, about 34 percent. I’ll take that. We did not do a good job on the defensive glass. I thought Alabama, who’s a sneaky really good offensive rebounding team for a team that plays downsized for the majority of the game. I thought they did a really good job early,” Golden said. “Early on we didn’t do a good enough job keeping them off the glass, and that was a big emphasis for us. So, the fact that we got outrebounded the way we did in this game was disappointing.”

Alabama (19-7, 11-2 SEC) didn’t attempt a 3-pointer for the first nine minutes after the break and was much more efficient from downtown in the second half, shooting 5-for-8. The Tide finished 25% from behind the arc (8-for-32), their second lowest percentage in SEC play.

The Gators (18-7, 8-4 SEC) are back home this weekend against Vanderbilt. It will be the fifth straight sellout in the O’Dome for a Saturday conference game. Tip is at 1 p.m. on SEC Network.

“As I told my team right before we came in here, I’m excited to get back to work with them tomorrow,” Golden said. “I think we have a chance to have a really special end of the year. Even though we came up short tonight, I think our effort indicates that.”