In a Numbers Game, the Gators Fell One Point Short Against the Aggies

photo credit FloridaGators.com

The only number that mattered Saturday afternoon in College Station was the one point that separated Texas A&M and the Florida Gators. Texas A&M 67, Florida 66. A huge win for the Aggies, who turned the game into a street fight that lacked only straight razors in the second half. A bitter loss for the Gators, never quite adjusted to the physicality of the second half.

While the final score is the only number that will show up in the Southeastern Conference standings, other numbers mattered a whole lot, particularly for the Gators, who led by as many as 13 points in the first half and by a dozen within the first 1:18 of the second. The Aggies scored seven in a row at the end of the first half to go into the locker down by six, 40-34. Trailing by 12 at the start of the second half, the Aggies got to the foul line seven times in the next two minutes, part of a 20-2 second half free throw discrepancy.

When zebra crews allow the Aggies to break out the brass knuckles in Reed Arena games they’re awfully hard to beat. By Aggie standards, the first half was rather passive. That changed in the second half when the Aggies pushed, shoved, elbowed and clawed their way back into the game, along the way taking the Gators out of any kind of offensive rhythm on one end of the floor while dictating a slower pace that is more suited to their street brawl style at the other.

The Aggies weren’t in control of the pace in the first half when the Gators (15-7, 5-4 SEC) made 14-27 of their shots overall and 7-16 from the 3-point line. The Gators got pretty much any shot they wanted in the first half. That changed in the final 20 minutes when the Gators were reduced to settling for jump shots. The hot shooting went cold as the Gators managed a dismal 3-13 from the 3-point line.

After a first half in which the Gators got to the foul line (nine times, made five) more than Texas A&M (4-4), the Aggies lived on the line. Will Richard shot Florida’s only two second half free throws at the 13:36 mark, splitting the pair. The Aggies meanwhile went 11-20 in the final 20 minutes.

The turning point in the game was with 18:42 left in the game. Florida was leading 46-34 after Richard buried his second straight 3-pointer for a 46-34 UF lead. On the Aggies’ ensuing possession, Wade Taylor IV took a knee to the thigh while driving the lane. Taylor dropped to the floor holding his thigh. The Gators, meanwhile, moved quickly to take advantage of a 5-on-4 advantage. That’s when the zebra crew of Joe Lindsay, Olandis Pool and Rob Rorke inexcusably stopped play, a whistle that shouldn’t have been blown. Play should have continued until there was either a dead ball or change of possession. Florida coach Todd Golden argued the call with Lindsay as he should have, but the damage was already done.

Strangely, over the next two minutes the Aggies went to the foul line for seven free throws as they cut a 12-point deficit to six. Whatever momentum the Gators had shifted to Texas A&M.

The rest of the half was an Aggie parade to the foul line and that had everything to do with the outcome. Credit the Aggies for continually attacking the rim to get the calls and for making just enough free throws to counter Florida’s scoring advantage from the field (60-52). The Gators didn’t help their cause by launching jump shots instead of getting the ball inside. While the Gators were bouncing shots off the rim, the Aggies were scoring layups, second chance points on the inside and free throws.

“The whole game changed from the first half to the second half,” Golden said. “There was a total of 13 free throws taken by both teams in the first half. It was much more open, kind of a free-flowing game. Then the second half, they get 20 free throws to our two. That, to me, is how the game changes … Really, the biggest thing for me was that there were a total of 13 free throws taken by both teams in the first half, and then A&M took 20 in the second half to our two.”

That is the story of Saturday’s game, yet despite all the defensive breakdowns and far too many missed chances to pick up points, the Gators found themselves in position to win a third straight game in a white knuckles finish. With 19.9 seconds to go the Gators got the ball under their own basket when Taylor, despite being warned he couldn’t move his feet while making the inbounds pass, somehow was oblivious to the message. Down one with a chance to either tie or pull out a third straight miracle win, the Gators wound up with the last two shots of the game.

On the first, Zyon Pullin nearly lost the ball and his balance trying to penetrate near the top of the key. Pullin had the presence to tap the ball to Walter Clayton Jr. behind the 3-point line. Three dribbles later, Clayton went up for a contested midrange jumper straight on at the foul line. Unlike Wednesday night when he drained the three that sent Florida into overtime against Kentucky, this one clanged off the front of the rim. Riley Kugel hustled down a long rebound, immediately flipping it out to Pullin on the left wing and behind the 3-point line. A pump fake disposed of 6-7 Jace Carter, but when Pullin launched 6-7 Andersson Garcia came flying at him. As was the case with Clayton’s shot, this one was short of the mark. There would be no third chance as Solomon Washington tracked down the rebound to preserve the win.

“I’ll take a Walter Clayton pull-up and a ZP three and live with the results,” Golden said. “Walt’s a big shot-maker, obviously hit a huge one for us the other night. A little short [this time]. Thought we did a great fighting on the glass and obviously ZP’s a big-time player, did a great job getting – I think it was Carter – up in the air and got a good look. It’s hard to dictate the exact shot you get in those situations, but I thought our guys made good basketball plays to get the two that we got.”

Although the Gators seemed to play a more passive offensive game in the second half, they played tough defensively despite the whistles that kept sending the Aggies to the line. The Gators held the Aggies to 40.7 percent from the field (24-59) for the entire game, 26.7 percent (4-15) from the 3-point line. The Gators blocked 11 shots and despite 13 offensive rebounds by the Aggies, gave up only six second chance points.

Generally speaking, basketball games are won with that level of defense, but the ball still has to go in the basket on the offensive end, something the Gators failed to do with any regularity in the final 18 minutes of the game. The Aggies had very few answers when the Gators were racing up and down the floor in the first half, but once they slowed the game down and muscled up, Florida found it difficult to adjust to the physical nature of the game.

“Obviously, they’re a tough team,” Golden said. “They play a unique style. They’re very physical, and we didn’t do a good enough job attacking their switching man-to-man that they play. I thought we were a little stagnant offensively in the second half.”

The Gators have a week to recover from this loss and prep for a showdown in the O-Dome with Auburn next Saturday.

Game notes: Pullin finished the game with 18 points to go with eight assists (also 1 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) … Riley Kugel had 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal … Will Richard finished with 12 points, one rebound, two assists and a steal … Although he scored only three points, freshman Alex Condon made his presence known with 11 rebounds and five blocked shots …The Gators were outscored 34-18 in the paint with only eight points off layups … The Gators are at the halfway point of the schedule. Of their remaining nine games (all SEC), five will be played in the O-Dome.

Saturday’s scores: Texas A&M (13-8, 4-4 SEC) 67, FLORIDA (15-7, 5-4 SEC) 66; No. 5 Tennessee (16-5, 6-2 SEC) 103, No. 10 Kentucky (15-6, 5-4 SEC) 92; 16 Auburn (18-5, 6-2 SEC) 91, Ole Miss (18-4, 5-4 SEC) 77; No. 24 Alabama (16-6, 8-1 SEC) 99, Mississippi State (14-8, 3-6 SEC) 67; South Carolina (19-3, 7-2 SEC) 72, Georgia (14-8, 4-5 SEC) 62; LSU (12-9, 4-4 SEC) 95, Arkansas (11-11, 2-7 SEC) 74; Vanderbilt (6-15, 1-7 SEC) 68, Missouri (8-14, 0-9 SEC) 61

Tuesday’s games: Ole Miss (18-4, 5-4 SEC) at South Carolina (19-3, 7-2 SEC); No. 10 Kentucky (15-6, 5-4 SEC) at Vanderbilt (6-15, 1-7 SEC)

Wednesday’s games: LSU (12-9, 4-4 SEC) at No. 5 Tennessee (16-5, 5-2 SEC); No. 24 Alabama (16-6, 8-1 SEC) at No. 16 Auburn (18-5, 6-2 SEC); Georgia (14-8, 4-5 SEC) at Mississippi State (14-8, 3-6 SEC); Texas A&M (13-8, 4-4 SEC) at Missouri (8-14, 0-9 SEC)