With his team leading by 10 points late in the second half, Miami guard Sheldon McClellan dribbled up the court, crossed over a Florida defender, swished a three pointer and clapped his hands as he ran back on defense.
The sight became a familiar one for Florida.
McClellan, who made three of his four three pointers, torched the Gators for 24 points on Tuesday night.
Florida struggled offensively for most of its 66-55 loss to Miami in Coral Gables. Only three UF players scored during the first half, and the Gators were unable to cut into a lead that the Hurricanes held for all but 30 seconds of game time.
"It was arguably our worst offensive game, but we’re going to have some of those nights," said coach Mike White, whose Florida team lost back-to-back meetings against Miami for the first time since 1985 on Tuesday. "Until we can find some guys who can consistently step up and shoot the basketball from the perimeter, we better be awfully good defensively."
Redshirt sophomore John Egbunu was one of the lone bright spots for Florida (6-2). The 6-foot-11 center finished with a team-high 14 points and five rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting.
Forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Devin Robinson recorded 12 and 11 points, respectively, and combined to shoot 9-of-17 from the field.
Florida’s other players combined to shoot 8-of-30 from the field.
"You’re playing from behind the entire game," White said of Florida’s poor offensive showing.
Kasey Hill had a night to forget. The junior had four points on 1-of-7 shooting, including an 0-of-3 outing from three point range, and fouled out with Florida down by 13 points late in the second half.
Miami didn’t shoot particularly well either, hitting on just 39.2 percent of its field goal attempts. But the Hurricanes were accurate from deep, connecting on 7-of-17 three pointers compared to the Gators’ 1-for-12 performance behind the arc.
Miami (8-1) guard Angel Rodriguez added to the Hurricanes’ strong night from long range, making 3-of-5 threes and finishing with 17 points.
Florida’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Gators will face No. 1 Michigan State on Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
"We never got into a really good rhythm until real late in the game," White said.
"I think they won the physicality matchup and took the fight to us."
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @icohenb
UF men's basketball coach Mike White reacts after a play during the first half of Florida's 89-42 win against Palm Beach Atlantic in an exhibition game Nov. 5, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
