|
Taurean Green had 21 points, including 12- of-12 from the line, and five assists as the second-ranked Florida Gators defeated the Auburn Tigers, 69-57, at the O'Connell Center.
Al Horford scored 14 points and grabbed seven boards and Joakim Noah added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Gators (16-0, 3-0 SEC), who currently hold the longest winning streak in school history.
Frank Tolbert paced the Tigers (8-6, 0-3) with 21 points and Josh Dollard contributed 12 points and six rebounds in the loss, Auburn's third consecutive.
The Tigers led for most of the first half as Florida had trouble draining three-pointers, a key cog in its offense, but the Gators managed to take a 34-33 lead into the second 20 minutes
Auburn was trailing 47-45 after Ronny LeMelle's trey with 13:25 to play, but Florida went on a 12-2 run, highlighted by seven points from Chris Richard.
After the Gators spurt the Tigers could not get any closer than 61-52 as they hit two field goals in the last 5 1/2 minutes.
Florida opened the game with a 10-2 run, capped by Horford's layup. The Tigers clawed back with their own 9-0 spurt, highlighted by Tolbert's three-pointer.
The teams traded baskets throughout the half until Auburn used an 8-3 streak, including five points from Tolbert, to grab a 31-27 edge with 1:36 left in the opening frame.
The Gators led 34-33 as they scored the final four points of the half. Florida shot 41 percent from the field, while Auburn connected on 45 percent of its shots, including 4-of-8 from behind the arc, in the opening 20 minutes.
|