The Gators put on a defensive clinic in front of a rowdy home crowd and absolutely took it to the number four ranked team in the country on Saturday.
Florida defeated the Auburn Tigers 69-47 behind the effort of freshman Omar Payne, who recorded his first career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Gators are now 12-5 on the season and 4-1 in SEC play. The Tigers fell to 15-2 overall.
How it happened:
Florida opened the game hot, streaking out to a 9-0 lead thanks to the duo of Payne and Noah Locke. Auburn came back and tied it up at 13 with 8:20 to go in the first half. By the intermission, the Gators held a 28-23 advantage.
Auburn’s Anfernee McLemore opened the second half with a jumper to close the gap to within three, but Florida used a quick 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 34-25.
Florida’s defense held the Tigers without a field goal for the final 8:40 of the game and went on a 20-1 run to complete the rout.
The Gators limited AU to just 25% from the floor and 17% from beyond the three point line. Florida shot 27-54 including 8-17 from deep.
Payne recoded seven offensive rebounds and had three putback baskets. Kerry Blackshear also finished with a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Auburn entered as the SEC’s top rebounding unit, but Florida outgained them 44-29.
Individual Stats:
- Omar Payne: 19 points, 9-9 FG, 11 rebounds
- Kerry Blackshear: 11 points, 16 rebounds,
- Noah Locke: 11 points, 4-9 FG, 3-6 3FG
- Andrew Nembhard: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Team Stats:
- FG% : 50
- 3FG% : 47
- FT% : 78
- Reb+/- : +15
- Assists: 12
- TOs: 15
- Bench Points: 14
What’s Next:
Florida will travel to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers on Tuesday.
The Tigers are 12-5 and face Ole Miss at 8:00 PM on Saturday.
Florida and LSU will be aired on SEC Network with tipoff set for 7:00 PM.