Noah Locke’s shot bounced off the rim, but he wasn’t giving up on the play.
The freshman guard’s team led the SEC co-leader on its home court by just three points in overtime. LSU hadn’t given Florida its best game so far, but the Tigers were making the important shots. There was just over a minute left in the game, and the Gators knew they needed a two-possession lead.
Locke rushed in to recover his own offensive rebound. He kicked it out to KeVaughn Allen on the outside, and Allen drilled the three.
The Tigers gave Florida all they had after that, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a six-point deficit. UF beat LSU in overtime 82-77 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Wednesday night. It was Florida’s first win over a ranked opponent this season.
The Gators (15-11, 7-6 SEC) usually elect to score on outside shots, but they employed a different strategy in the first half against the Tigers.
Florida took an 8-2 lead to start the game, with all eight of its points coming in the paint. Between center Kevarrius Hayes attacking the post and point guard Andrew Nembhard slashing to the basket, UF took control. It led by as much as eight early in the period.
But the Gators’ defensive weakness is guarding the interior, and LSU (21-5, 11-2 SEC) took advantage. A couple dunks from LSU forward Darius Days punctuated the swing of momentum in the Tigers’ favor, and they tied the game at 17 with 9:14 left in the half.
But guard Jalen Hudson hit a three off an out-of-bounds play, and the Gators led the rest of the half, due in large part to Hudson’s best single-half effort of the season. He scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the opening period, and his team led 33-31 at the break.
UF opened the second half on a 7-2 run, but it didn’t hold the momentum for long. LSU made six straight buckets to take the lead, and both teams traded baskets for the next five minutes. Florida held a slim lead for most of that time, but a stretch where it shot 1 of 10 prevented it from expanding on its advantage.
The Gators had a chance to win the game when it was tied at 64 with under 10 seconds left. Allen found Hayes open under the basket, but with only one second left on the shot clock, Hayes couldn’t capitalize and turned it over out of bounds. LSU missed a long three at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime.
Allen and guard Noah Locke took over the game in the extra period, combining to hit three three-pointers. Allen scored 21 points total (6-of-12 shooting), including 15 in the final seven minutes, while Locke managed 15 (5-of-13).
Florida struggled to get to the free-throw line all game, but the Tigers were forced to foul after Allen’s three put the Gators up 76-70 with 1:12 left. UF made six of its seven attempts behind the charity stripe in the final 47 seconds. Florida earned its third-straight win, the last two coming in “Quadrant 1” games.
The Gators now face a slate of winnable contests, including a rematch with the Tigers on March 6. After upsetting one of the hottest teams in the nation on the road, UF’s path to the NCAA Tournament appears to be much clearer. It likely controls its own postseason destiny heading into the final five games of the regular season.
Follow Tyler Nettuno on Twitter @TylerNettuno and contact him at tnettuno@alligator.org.
Senior guard KeVaughn Allen scored a team-high 21 points on Wednesday in the Gators' 82-77 overtime win over No. 13 LSU.
