Billy Donovan has to wait just a little bit longer.
Seeking his 500th win, Donovan’s Gators lost at LSU 70-63 on Saturday afternoon, forcing any celebration to be postponed to Tuesday night at the earliest.
Florida (13-14, 6-8 Southeastern Conference) seemed outmatched from the start without its go-to options — leading scorers Michael Frazier II and Dorian Finney-Smith — as LSU (19-8, 8-6 SEC) opened the game on a 12-0 run.
Nearing the end of the first half, the Gators put together a string of solid offensive plays and took the lead back on a Devin Robinson dunk that made the game 26-24.
But less than a minute later, a Jarell Martin dunk put the Tigers back ahead — this time for good.
LSU took a seven-point lead into the half, but a second half scoring run soon pushed the lead to 47-31, and it was evident the Gators were overmatched without its top scoring threats.
Eli Carter led the Gators in scoring with 14 points, but shot the ball just 4-of-14 from the field. Freshman Devin Robinson, filling in for the injured Frazier, was serviceable in just his fourth start by contributing 12 points.
For Donovan, his next chance for win number 500 is on the road against Missouri on Tuesday at 9 p.m.
That game may be Florida’s last chance to win a regular season game, especially if Frazier or Finney-Smith continue to miss time, as Missouri has won just one SEC game in 14 tries.
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Billy Donovan looks down the court during Florida's 72-47 win against Mississippi State on Jan. 10 in the O'Connell Center. Florida dropped its first SEC home game when on Tuesday, losing 79-61 to LSU.
