With the shot clock expiring late in the second half of Florida’s Southeastern Conference opener against Georgia, KeVaughn Allen stepped into position and shot a fadeaway three-pointer.
The ball swished through the net, and the freshman sealed Florida’s first victory of 2016.
Behind a team-high 18 points from Allen and a double-double from John Egbunu, Florida pulled off a 77-63 win against the Bulldogs on Saturday in front of an O’Connell Center crowd of 9,053.
After slow starts plagued the Gators all season, Florida fired on all cylinders from start to finish, shooting 42.3 percent from the field.
The Gators (9-4, 1-0 SEC) also knocked back nine three-pointers, their highest output from beyond the arc since making 15 in their home opener against North Carolina A&T.
“It feels really good, of course, to watch that ball go through the net, as a coach or as a player,” coach Mike White said. “Hats off to those guys who stepped up and got us going offensively.”
Devin Robinson was one of those players who got the Gators going.
After starting the game on the bench for the first time in eight games, the sophomore forward put up 13 points in the first half on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting and made five of his six free throws to give Florida the 38-31 advantage at the break.
Robinson left the game with a chest bruise, not returning to the court in the second half.
But when Robinson left, Allen stepped up like he has as of late.
The 6-foot-2 guard put up 12 points in the final 20 minutes to lead a Gators offense that had five players score in double figures.
“Offensively, he’s given our team more confidence,” White said of Allen.
And defensively, the Gators were stout, holding the Bulldogs (7-4, 0-1 SEC) to just 35.6 percent shooting from the field, 16.7 percent from beyond the arc and outrebounding them 43-36.
The Gators now prepare for a split week of conference action, first heading on the road to face Tennessee in Knoxville on Wednesday before coming home to play LSU on Saturday.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Florida guard KeVaughn Allen drives into the paint during Florida’s 77-63 win against Georgia on Jan.2, 2016, in the O’Connell Center.
