An explosive comeback was enough to get Florida back in the game, but an inability to execute in overtime led to a letdown in Columbia.
The Gators fell to South Carolina 73-69 Saturday afternoon in the first-ever overtime matchup between the two schools. It was the first win for the Gamecocks over Florida in their last eight tries.
UF (17-10, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) overcame another slow start offensively and positioned itself nicely to steal its second-straight road victory, but the Gators came up just short at Colonial Life Arena.
The seniors led the way for both teams — forward Michael Carrera led the Gamecocks (22-5, 9-5 SEC) with 20 points and 15 rebounds, including four three-pointers, and redshirt senior Dorian Finney-Smith had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Florida.
With seven minutes remaining in the first half, the Gators trailed South Carolina 30-13 and the rout looked to be on. An ensuing 20-0 run by Florida, however, vaulted UF to a 33-30 halftime lead.
“We were on the verge of getting blown out. I thought we played really tentative, didn’t respond well to their initial punch,” UF coach Mike White said. “But after the first 10 minutes of the game, I thought we settled in.”
A back-and-forth second half kept the game close, but as the end of regulation approached, Florida failed to execute under pressure on potentially game-winning possessions.
In overtime, Florida managed to score just five points. The Gators ended the game on a 2:42 scoring drought and hit just one of their final six field goals.
Sindarius Thornwell contributed 17 points and Mindaugas Kacinas scored 14 for Carolina in the win. The Gamecocks shot 39.1 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point range.
Florida’s Devin Robinson scored a career-best 17 points and Chiozza added 11. The Gators shot 36.9 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc. Florida did convert its free throws, making 12-of-15, but also committed 15 turnovers that led to 15 Carolina points.
“We just didn’t do enough offensively, of course,” White said. “Had some empty possessions down the stretch, had a few key mistakes defensively…just didn’t do quite enough.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Alex Maminakis at amaminakis@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @alexmaminakis.
Dorian Finney-Smith goes for a layup during Florida's win against Arkansas on Jan. 30, 2016, in the O'Connell Center.
