For the second time in as many weeks, it appeared as if newly minted No. 5 Florida Gators basketball would go down in flames to an inferior opponent. However, unlike eight days ago, Florida was on the positive side of a 1-point decision eking out a come-from-behind, last-second 70-69 road win against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Gators improved to 17-2, matching the best start in program history through 19 games alongside the mark achieved by the national championship-winning 2005-06 squad.
Trailing by five with 4 minutes remaining, Florida and South Carolina traded 3-point possessions eventually trimming the margin to a bucket. Gators redshirt senior guard Alijah Martin stole the ball after a made triple by senior G Will Richard and converted the extra possession into a pair of free throws to tie the game with 52 seconds left. The Gamecocks responded by creating an extra possession of their own with an offensive rebound; however, they only converted one of two attempts from the charity stripe as time ticked down to 17 seconds and a door cracked open for the visitors.
Richard took the game into his own hands driving the lane and completing a picturesque layup to put Florida on top — for the first time all contest — with 5 seconds to go.
UF trailed 21 seconds into the game, fell back by 10 points late in the first half and fought from as high as a 14-point deficit in the second half. It used a 7-0 run (five from Richard on the back of two steals) to slice its deficit to six with 7 minutes remaining, a scoring stretch that preceded the finishing sequence resulting in victory.
Wednesday marked just the third time in 28 tries — first in three such situations this season — that head coach Todd Golden’s squad trailed with 5 minutes left yet went on to win the game (3-25). It was just the 10th time that a Golden-coached Florida team won when trailing at halftime (10-19).
This came one week after the Gators fought back from as many as 16 points in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center ultimately snapping their 16-game home winning streak falling by a single point to Missouri.
Defense was the name of the game for Florida in the second half. It forced 12 of South Carolina’s 15 turnovers in the period converting the total giveaways into 22 points on the evening. UF also outscored its hosts a whopping 22-0 on the fastbreak. The Gators drained 5 of 14 treys after halftime with its three starting guards each scoring in double figures over the latter 20 minutes.
Richard broke out of a mini slump with a game-high 22 points hitting 9 of 14 shots and 3 of 5 triples with four rebounds. Martin was just 1 of 8 from deep, but his 14 points, 6 boards and perimeter defense were crucial in keeping Florida alive. Each player racked up 3 steals, as did sophomore center Alex Condon.
Senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. came alive in the second half totaling 16 points with 7 assists and 4 rebounds. Clayton dished more dimes than in any game since Dec. 29, 2024, and he did so while setting a new program record for most consecutive games with a made 3-pointer (42).
The Gators won despite being outshot from the field and long range. They even lost the rebounding battle (31-36) and watched as the ‘Cocks were more efficient moving the ball with a 13-18 deficit in assists.
This was a case of Florida doing the little things that make winning possible just as it did for years under former head coach Billy Donovan.
Great teams are not defined by blowout wins but rather pulling out victories even when not playing their best basketball. The Gators are 2-1 in such situations this season, a stark contrast to how the program performed in many similar situations over the last number of years under both Golden and his predecesor.
