As the nation’s leader in 3-point shooting, Florida came into Ole Miss’ Tad Smith Coliseum knowing how to sustain a scorching pace from behind the arc through more than half a season.
On Thursday night, the Rebels could only maintain theirs for half a game.
Though Ole Miss led by as many as 16 points early in the first half on 6-for-6 shooting from three, Florida had no need to panic as it entered its locker room down 38-28 at the break.
“They shot the ball incredibly well in the first half, but we just stayed the course,” UF coach Billy Donovan said.
The Rebels (13-7, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) — ranked 339th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage before Thursday — made just one of their six attempts from long range in the second half as the No. 14 Gators rallied for a 64-61 win.
Facing a daunting deficit against a team with a perfect 8-0 home record, Donovan challenged his team in the second half to win in four-minute segments, even if it was just by a point.
“What we talked about coming out of the half was, OK, it’s a 10-point game, we don’t need to get 10-points back in two minutes,” Donovan said.
UF was able to claim each of those segments by holding the Rebels to 8-of-29 shooting from the field. Florida outscored Ole Miss 36-22 in the final 20 minutes on 52 percent shooting.
With just less than 12 minutes left, UF cut the lead to one. Florida claimed the lead for the final time with 5:35 remaining after three straight 3-pointers by junior guards Mike Rosario, who had eight points, and Kenny Boynton (12 points).
“I was really happy with our guys’ resiliency, their character and the way they kind of handled themselves on the road,” Donovan said. “Kenny Boynton stuck with it and knocked down some shots.”
While long-range shooting ultimately grabbed Florida the lead, it was junior center Patric Young who led a second-half surge inside.
For the third straight game, the Gators sat the 6-foot-9 Young in favor of fellow sophomore Will Yeguete, a 6-foot-7 forward, in the starting lineup.
Young has seen limited playing time since Florida’s last road game at South Carolina on Jan. 14, but against Ole Miss, he was on the court for 26 minutes and scored a team-high 15 points.
“I was really proud of Patric Young,” Donovan said. “I thought he really took a step maturity-wise, keeping his composure and just kept playing and playing and playing. He was a force at the basket for us.”
The Gators also received a solid performance out of senior point guard Erving Walker, who keyed UF’s 21-assist, five-turnover night with nine assists of his own and 10 points. His only turnover of the game came in the final 18 seconds with Florida up 63-60, when he slipped on the court while trying to milk the clock by evading an Ole Miss foul.
Having escaped Mississippi with its second road win, Florida will have to turn its attention to a quick home turnaround Saturday against No. 18 Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m.
“To be honest with you, Ohio State (and) Mississippi State, probably one-two of the most talented teams we’ll have played so far this season,” Donovan said. “They’re very gifted and they’re very talented.”
Contact John Boothe at jboothe@alligator.org.
Florida point guard Erving Walker scored 10 points and registered nine assists in Thursday’s come-from-behind win at Ole Miss. The Gators overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to beat the Rebels 64-61 in Oxford, Miss.
