Seton Hall forward Desi Rodriguez rocketed down the court with the seconds dripping off the clock.
Rodriguez pulled up from the top of the three-point line and released the ball, only to have it clank off the back of the rim as the final buzzer sounded in the Pirates’ late-night battle with the Gators in the second round of the AdvoCare Invitational on Thursday.
Florida clung to its late lead in Orlando, defeating Seton Hall (3-1) 81-76 to capture its fifth-straight win to open the season.
The Gators shot 38.9 percent in the first half and struggled to score at times, but a furious second-half rally led by guard KeVaughn Allen helped Florida close out the game.
The sophomore led his team with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and six rebounds. Meanwhile graduate transfer Canyon Barry supplied some much-needed offense for Florida, scoring 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting and knocking down six crucial free throws.
“We’re just gonna keep trying to get our shooters open looks,” UF assistant coach Darris Nichols said. “Hopefully when they focus on the shooters, everybody else is wide open.”
On a sour note, Kasey Hill had a night to forget. The senior guard fouled out with just six points and five turnovers and did nothing to slow down the high-octane offense of Seton Hall’s backcourt. Junior guard Khadeen Carrington had his way with Hill, shredding Florida for 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
With the Gators desperately trying to pull away in the second half, the Pirates refused to go away.
Florida held an eight-point lead with over five minutes remaining after Barry drilled a three from the corner. But Seton Hall battled back. With just under two minutes to play, Carrington fought his way into the paint and sunk an and-one layup over the outstretched arms of 6-foot-11 center John Egbunu. Carrington converted the free throw to cut Florida’s lead to just two points.
But it was to no avail.
Junior guard Chris Chiozza and Allen combined for six-straight points to give the Gators breathing room down the stretch.
The Pirates, who shot 55.6 percent in the first half, had a difficult time finishing over the length of Egbunu and 6-foot-9 forward Kevarrius Hayes, who combined for five blocks. The Gators held them to 33.3-percent shooting in the second half. The Pirates also surrendered 34 points to the Florida’s bench.
The Gators will face their toughest test yet when they face No. 11 Gonzaga on Friday night.
“We just took what the defense gave us, and we played hard,” Chiozza said. “It’s what we’ve gotta do every night.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter at @rboone1994.
Seton Hall forward Ismael Sanogo, left, and Florida guard KeVaughn Allen (5) reach for the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. Florida won 81-76. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
