Too close for comfort: Florida basketball survives second half meltdown against UGA

Florida basketball turned what could have been a disastrous collapse into another win over rival Georgia and former head coach Mike White.

Sophomore center Micah Handlogten posted a double-double with a season-high 23 points and 17 rebounds and point guard Zyon Pullin scored 7 of his 20 points in overtime, lifting the Florida Gators to a 102-98 overtime win over the Bulldogs before an announced 10,045 at the O’Connell Center.

Florida (14-6, 4-3 SEC) won its third straight and will take some confidence into its next matchup at Rupp Arena against No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 31.

Florida led by as many as 21 points in the second half, but hard-charging Georgia rallied late. Down 85-75 with 2:59 left. Georgia went on a 10-0 run to force overtime, with a Blue Cain driving layup tying the score at 85 with 49 seconds left. Georgia had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but Richard came up with a late steal, then missed a running 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Pullin put Florida back up 88-85 in overtime on a three-point play and after Georgia forward R.J. Melendez made a 3-pointer to cut Florida’s lead to 100-98 with 6.5 seconds left in OT, Pullin made two free throws to seal the win.

Melendez led Georgia (14-6. 4-3 SEC) with 35 points.

Florida shot 59.4 percent from the floor in the first half to build a 47-34 halftime lead. Florida junior guard Will Richard scored 14 points in the first half, going 6 for 7 from the floor.

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The Gators jumped to an early 24-9 lead on a dunk by freshman Thomas Haugh, but Georgia responded with a 12-2 run, cutting UF’s lead to 26-21 on a pair of Melendez free throws.

Florida then regrouped with an 11-0 run, with a Handlogten 3-pointer and Richard four-point play extended its lead back to 37-21 with 5:22 left. UF maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the half, going up 47-34 on a jumper in the lane from Pullin at the first half buzzer.

Here are three takeaways from the Florida win:

Another balanced scoring effort for UF basketball

In addition to Handlogten’s 23 points and Pullin’s 23 points, Florida had three more scorers in double figures, with Richard scoring 18 points, Walter Clayton Jr. scoring 18 points and freshman Alex Condon scoring 10 points off the bench. Florida dished 23 assists, with Pullin finishing with 8 assists and Condon finishing with 5 assists.

UF basketball dominated on the boards

Florida used its size advantage throughout the game and was the more physical team throughout the game, outrebounding the Bulldogs 48-27, including 16-8 on offensive rebounds, and outscoring Georgia 12-3 in second chance points.

Florida was sloppy with the basketball

The Gators turned the ball over 19 times, with Georgia outscoring Florida 24-15 in points off turnovers. Richard had 4 turnovers while Handlogten and Samuel had 3 turnovers apiece.