UF senior guard Myreon Jones sank a wide-open 3-pointer with a minute left in the game. Louisiana State watched as their buses started up in the parking lot.
The highs and lows of Saturday’s game sent Florida’s seniors off with a win in their final regular season home game. While the seniors played in their final games, Florida head coach Todd Golden said he’s optimistic about the team’s future in the hands of its young players.
“The plan is for these guys to be important parts of our program moving forward,” Golden said. “They’ve done a really good job representing themselves and our program well over the course of this year.”
The Florida Gators (16-15, 9-9 SEC) defeated the Louisiana State Tigers (13-18, 2-16 SEC) 79-67 Saturday in UF's final regular season game in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Gators freshman guard Riley Kugel finished with a team-high 21 points, and graduate student guard Kyle Lofton left the court with 16 points and five assists.
UF shot 39% from the floor in the first half but still managed the victory.
Florida started the last game of the season with elegant ball movement to set up senior center Jason Jitoboh under the basket. He was fouled and converted two free-throws for the game’s first points.
UF found a 5-0 lead over LSU through the first two and a half minutes of play. Louisiana State junior forward Derek Fountain hit a 3-pointer to give the Tigers their first points.
The game quickly turned into a tight battle. LSU went on a 6-0 scoring run to give itself its first lead of the game. Fifth-year forward KJ Williams capped the run with a layup six and a half minutes into the game.
The spell ended when Florida freshman guard Denzel Aberdeen threw an outlet pass to sophomore guard Will Richard, who dunked the ball uncontested.
The Tigers held onto a narrow lead midway through the first half thanks to UF’s offensive struggles. Florida made 12-31 shots in the first half; they also shot 3-11 from 3-point range.
The Gators’ defense created opportunities for UF to reclaim the lead. The team went on a 6-0 run to get in front of the Tigers.
Florida’s senior combination of Jitoboh and Jones gave the Gators their 15-13 lead eight minutes before the break. The Penn State transfer bounced a pass to the cutting Jitoboh, who yammed the ball into the basket.
The lead was short-lived. The Tigers stepped up their defensive paint presence and forced fouls when LSU drove to the basket. Louisiana State went on a 9-0 run through three minutes; the Gators went scoreless during the same span.
Luckily for Florida, Louisiana State didn’t convert many of their chances from the charity stripe. LSU went 7-11 from the free-throw line in the first half.
In the last two and a half minutes of the first half, the game was tied at 25 apiece. Lofton kept his team in tune by dishing out assists and scoring on the go. He also made a circus shot over two defenders.
However, LSU outscored the Gators 8-4 in the last minutes and led 33-29 at the break.
Florida started the second half stagnant on offense. The Gators looked like they hadn’t had their morning coffee and went 1-4 through the first three minutes of the half; they were outscored 7-3 to start the period.
Williams continuously challenged Jitoboh under the basket. LSU’s 6-foot-10-inch big man finished with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds — eleven of those points came in the second half.
The Tiger slammed in a dunk untouched as Jitoboh watched him pass by to extend the Tigers’ lead to 12. Kugel answered with a pullup 3-pointer to bring the game back to a single-digit deficit. UF trailed 44-35 with 15 and a half minutes remaining.
The Gators switched to a full-court press to fuel a comeback from down by nine. The added pressure forced two turnovers by the Tigers within a minute. The defense opened a door for UF for the first time in the second half.
Florida scored six straight through two minutes of play. The momentum shift stopped when Fountain made a second-chance layup to push LSU’s advantage to six, 47-41, with 12 minutes left.
The Gators stayed within reach of the lead as the half reached its midway point. Their defense stopped LSU from adding points through two minutes of play. Richard corralled an offensive rebound off of a missed triple from Lofton and made the putback to bring the game within a point with less than 10 minutes remaining.
The game reverted to how it started: a back-and-forth matchup. The Tigers kept the lead by attacking the basket but ramped up its intensity on defense.
Florida sophomore guard Kowacie Reeves pushed through Louisiana State freshman guard Jalen Reed. He stole the ball and aired out on the runway to punch a one-handed dunk into the basket.
The Gators took their first lead of the second half, 54-53, with seven minutes left.
Florida quickly took the game over. Lofton knocked down a last-second 3-pointer as the 30-second shot clock expired. The New Jersey native celebrated with Mikal Bridges’ signature 3-point celebration while LSU head coach Matt McMahon called a timeout.
Lofton controlled UF’s offense through his 31 minutes on the court. He struggled to find a groove in the first half but stayed the course and finished strong, he said.
“I came out the second half and missed a couple of bunnies,” Lofton said. “I did not give up on myself and stayed aggressive knowing these shots will fall eventually.”
The O’Dome roared with every shot the Gators made. The atmosphere became electric, and UF made five straight field goals; Kugel solidified the stretch with an acrobatic layup from underneath the rim. He was fouled in the air and drilled his free throw to convert the three-point play.
Florida led 74-60 — its biggest lead of the game — with a minute and a half left.
Louisiana State was forced to foul in an attempt to stay in the game. The Gators made seven of their last nine field goals and defended their lead to win 79-67.
Florida will shift its focus to the Southeastern Conference Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
“We get some time here to recharge, maybe change up a couple of things, and go into national play with a little bit of house money,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said.
UF’s first contest will be against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 1 p.m. Thursday.
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.
