With 0.6 seconds left in the first half, Florida guard KeVaughn Allen stood behind the backboard and lobbed an out-of-bounds pass to forward Kevarrius Hayes.
Surrounded by Mercer defenders, Hayes leapt, caught and shot before the ball rattled into the rim, capping an 18-2 UF run.
The Bears jogged back to their locker room — saved by the buzzer.
The Gators' (2-0) first-half ensemble of three-point plays and deep jump shots lifted them to a 76-54 win over Mercer (1-1) Sunday night in Jacksonville.
Despite a shaky 36-percent shooting performance for Florida, the buckets came in bunches for forward Justin Leon, who hit three threes and notched a career-high 17 points.
“After the first one,” Leon said, “I could tell how smooth it (flew out) of my hands that I was like, ‘OK if I get another one, I’m gonna make it again.’”
Three pointers weren’t falling at first for the Gators, who were among the SEC’s worst teams from beyond the arc last season. As a team, UF only shot 32 percent from three last year.
But in the last six minutes of the first half, Florida found a rhythm with a makeshift lineup as UF’s point guards sat out with foul trouble. Coach Mike White used an oversized lineup, giving Florida free reign on rebounding.
It paid off.
Despite poor shooting, Florida pulled away by scoring on second-chance opportunities. UF’s frontcourt played keepaway above the rim with a 20-10 advantage in offensive rebounds. At one point, UF had 17 offensive rebounds to Mercer’s three.
“Our ability to fly to the offensive glass, our ability to turn (Mercer) over through press and pressure 17 times," White said, "(those) were the biggest keys to the game.”
Florida piled it on in the second half. All 12 Gators played and scored with UF’s lead often out of reach. Allen finished with 13 points, and forward Devin Robinson nearly earned a double-double with 12 points and nine boards.
But it wasn’t all positive. White said UF's near-20-point lead at halftime exposed a lack of discipline and maturity but thought the team did enough to win.
On the defensive end, Florida suffocated Mercer. The Bears led only once, were out-rebounded 47-32, and Florida even hounded a Mercer ball-handler into committing a half-court violation.
White has said UF needs to improve its performance from the free-throw line. Sunday night the Gators outshined last season’s average, making 80 percent of their free throws.
Senior guard Kasey Hill, who said during the preseason that he has been labeled “not a shooter” by critics, stepped up from the free-throw line. He has made 7 of his 10 free throws this season, including 4-of-6 on Sunday, an improvement from his 54-percent average last season
UF has another neutral site matchup against St. Bonaventure on Thursday in Lakeland, Florida.
And Leon said Sunday’s win is already behind him.
“You just gotta forget about it,” Leon said. “Focus on the next games because all the teams are different. You can’t just be like ‘Oh, we played good.’”
“We’ll kind of start over and prepare again."
A radio broadcast contributed to report.
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
Kevarrius Hayes, left, and Justin Leon watch from the sideline during Florida's 95-63 win over Auburn on Jan. 23, 2016, in the O'Connell Center.
