A flurry of fouls through the final minute of the game delayed Florida’s loss for what felt like an hour.
The Commodores clearly separated themselves by the end of a back-and-forth game that saw the lead flip 15 times.
The Florida Gators (13-12, 6-6 SEC) lost to the Vanderbilt Commodores (13-12, 6-6 SEC) 88-80 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd. Both teams shot 48% from the field, but Florida struggled to take advantage from the free-throw line.
Gators sophomore guard Will Richard ran toward the basket and into Vanderbilt fifth-year forward Liam Robbins on the first possession of the game. He dropped in a layup for the first points of the afternoon.
Robbins responded with eight points through the first three minutes. He attacked Florida graduate student Colin Castleton multiple times in the low post. Robbins finished with 32 points.
The Davenport, Iowa, native impressed Florida head coach Todd Golden, who understood the difficulty of guarding Robbins.
“You’ve got to tip your cap a little bit,” Golden said. “I can live with what he’s doing inside the three; it’s the effort of stunting on his three point shots.”
The Gators combatted the Commodores’ seven-footer by converting six of its first nine attempts from the floor. The crowd in the O’Dome went berserk after every made shot.
The teams slowed down despite their highly efficient start through the first seven and a half minutes. Neither team scored for two minutes until Vanderbilt junior guard Tyrin Lawrence made a shot from under the basket; Vandy led 24-16.
UF slowly climbed back after Lawrence’s basket and outscored Vanderbilt 8-2 through three minutes. Florida sophomore forward Alex Fudge threw the ball into the air as he fell to the floor to bring his team within one possession, 26-24.
The Gators weren’t able to take the lead due to back-to-back missed shots from behind the arc. Florida went 1-10 from 3-point range in the first half, but its defense kept the lead within reach.
Florida sophomore guard Kowacie Reeves came off the bench and gave the Gators momentum in the last few minutes before halftime. He finished the game with 14 points.
“I just try to bring energy in my role trying to help the team win,” Reeves said.
Reeves gave Florida its first lead of the game with a one-handed jam as Robbins stood under the basket. UF led 35-34 with four minutes remaining in the first.
Florida’s defense — ranked as the nation’s 11th best defense, according to KenPom — allowed only four points in the last two and a half minutes of the first half.
UF freshman guard Riley Kugel wrapped around the basket for a layup before time expired in the first half. The basket brought the Gators within one, and Vanderbilt led 42-41 at the break.
The second half started with both teams going scoreless through two minutes. Kugel gave UF its first points of the half, and a 43-42 lead, after he made two free-throws.
The lead changed five times in the following two minutes. Both teams moved the ball well, and every player on the court got a touch.
Vanderbilt switched its defense to a 2-3 zone eight minutes into the half. Florida countered the change by moving the ball around the perimeter to create open shots.
The new defense kept the Gators from scoring for two minutes. Castleton broke the drought with a free throw to give UF a 59-58 lead.
Momentum flipped in favor of Vanderbilt midway through the second half. A free-throw by Robbins put the Commodores back on top, 62-61, with nine minutes remaining.
Florida struggled from the free throw line in the second half. UF went 12-21 from the line despite 12 second-half fouls by Vanderbilt.
“We’ve got to do a better job,” Castleton said. “Easy free-throws; it’s a game changer.”
The lack of points from the charity stripe gave Vanderbilt a tight lead with seven and a half minutes left. Pressure began to boil in the crowd.
The Rowdy Reptiles stood while Commodores freshman forward Colin Smith knocked down a three as Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse — in his Sunday best — watched with his arms crossed.
The Gators saw the game start to fade away as they experienced a three-minute scoring drought. Golden called a timeout with the Gators down 78-69 with two minutes remaining.
Golden said fatigue started to affect his team mentally and physically late in the game.
UF struggled through the end of the game. A bounce pass ricocheted off Castleton’s knee, and Reeves stumbled to recover the ball in one possession.
The play led to a foul that sent Castleton to the line; he made the first free-throw and missed the second.
Fans exited their seats when Castleton missed his second free throw. People started to spill out of the O’Dome while the Gators fouled the Commodores repeatedly in hopes of saving the game.
Vanderbilt kept its lead and won 88-80 in Gainesville.
UF drops to ninth in the Southeastern Conference after what Castleton called a “must win game” for Florida.
Florida will stay in Gainesville to face Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
