Live Blog: Florida Gators 77, UConn Huskies 75
RALEIGH, N.C. — The No. 1 seed Florida Gators won a thriller on Sunday in the Round of 32, rallying late for a 77-75 victory over UConn, the two-time defending national champions.
Trialing for the first 17 minutes of the second half, UF scored six straight points to take the lead and then had an 8-0 run — part of a 14-3 stretch — to build an 8-point advantage with 40 seconds left.
The Gators advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 12th time in program history with the win and snapped the Huskies’ 13-game winning streak in the NCAA Tournament.
Below are live updates from the matchup between Florida and UConn.
Florida vs. UConn Live Blog
SCORE UPDATE: UConn 61, Florida 58 (3:41 2H)
The Gators have made five of their last seven shots. No field goals for the Huskies in the last 3:34. Huge steal by Will Richard on the last possession to force a turnover.
SCORE UPDATE: UConn 52, Florida 51 (7:38 2H)
It’s a one-point game after two dunks by Rueben Chinyelu and another Walter Clayton Jr. 3-pointer.
SCORE UPDATE: UConn 48, Florida 44 (11:25, 2H)
Will Richard scored seven straight points and cut the deficit to one, but the Huskies are still holding onto their second-half lead.
SCORE UPDATE: UConn 40, Florida 37 (15:18 2H)
The Huskies outscored UF 7-1 to open the second half and the Gators went four and a half minutes without a field goal before that Will Richard 3-pointer.
HALF: Florida 31, UConn 31
The Huskies hit a late 3-pointer to tie the game and Will Richard’s corner 3 to beat the buzzer rattles out. Alijah Martin has a team-high 14 points, but the Gators need their frontcourt to step up in the second half.
Florida shot 38% in the first half (10-for-26) and 36% from downtown (4-for-11). The Huskies finished at 32% (11-for-34) and 22% beyond the arc (4-for-18). UF has a 21-17 edge on the boards.
SCORE UPDATE: Florida 27, UConn 26 (2:30 1H)
Walter Clayton Jr. has made back-to-back 3-pointers after missing his four first shots. The Huskies are winning the offensive glass 9-7 with nine second-chance points.
SCORE UPDATE: Florida 16, UConn 15 (7:58 1H)
The Gators haven’t made a field goal in 5:02, missing their last five shots. Huskies just had their second block of the game on the last attempt.
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SCORE UPDATE: Florida 11, UConn 8 (11:40 1H)
Martin has nine points and hit UF’s first 3-pointer. Too many turnovers for the Gators, who have committed six already, but UConn hasn’t scored any points off them.
SCORE UPDATE: Florida 6, UConn 3 (15:07 1H)
The Gators jumped out to a 6-0 lead with some big dunks from Alijah Martin, but UF has three turnovers in the last 1:57.
Florida Gators starters
| No. | Player | Position | Height/Weight | Class | Min. | Pts. | Rebs. | Misc. |
| 1 | Walter Clayton Jr. | Guard | 6-2, 195 pounds | Sr. | 32.4 | 17.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 ast |
| 15 | Alijah Martin | Guard | 6-2, 210 pounds | Gr. | 29.9 | 14.5 | 4.5 | 2.3 ast |
| 5 | Will Richard | Guard | 6-4, 206 pounds | Sr. | 31.4 | 13.4 | 4.5 | 1.7 stl |
| 21 | Alex Condon | Forward | 6-11, 230 pounds | So. | 25.2 | 11.3 | 7.8 | 2.3 ast |
| 9 | Rueben Chinyelu | Center | 6-10, 260 pounds | So. | 19.2 | 6.1 | 6.5 | 0.9 blk |
UConn Huskies starters
| No. | Player | Position | Height/Weight | Class | Min. | Pts. | Rebs. | Misc. |
| 10 | Hassan Diarra | Guard | 6-2, 195 pounds | 5th | 27.7 | 7.8 | 3.6 | 5.7 ast |
| 1 | Solo Ball | Guard | 6-3, 190 pounds | So. | 31.7 | 14.6 | 3.6 | 2.9 3fg |
| 30 | JayLia McNeeley | Forward | 6-7, 210 pounds | Fr. | 31.8 | 14.2 | 6.1 | 2.2 ast |
| 11 | Alex Karaban | Forward | 6-8, 225 pounds | R-Jr. | 35.8 | 14.3 | 5.3 | 2.8 ast |
| 35 | Samson Johnson | Center | 6-10, 225 pounds | Sr. | 19.3 | 7.4 | 3.3 | 1.5 blk |
Betting lines for Gators vs. Huskies
Spread: Florida -9.5
Over/Under: 151.5 points
Moneyline: Florida -480, UConn +360
March Madness coverage
* Golden Opportunity: Gators look to end UConn March Madness run
* Florida Gators frontcourt must come up big vs. UConn Huskies
* Walter Clayton Jr. faces UConn again in March, this time at Florida
* Billy Donovan’s presence still felt at UF as Gators chase glory
* Get to know UConn, the Florida Gators’ 2nd-round opponent
* Florida Gators remind UConn coach Dan Hurley of his title teams
* Matchup Breakdown: Florida Gators (1) vs. UConn Huskies (8)
* Florida Gators’ most memorable 2nd-round NCAA Tournament wins
* Takeaways from the Florida Gators’ 95-69 win over Norfolk State
* Florida Gators Basketball Flashback: The 3 key moments vs. NSU
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