A win is a win, but the Florida Gators (14-6) made the UF faithful in the packed Stephen O. Connell Center hold their breath.
The Gators bested the Georgia Bulldogs (14-6) but needed overtime to do it, eventually winning 102-98.
Florida led by as much as 21 points in the second half, and led the entire game, except when Georgia somehow made it even at 85 to end regulation.
The Gators controlled most of the matchup, especially on the boards. The Gators out-rebounded the Bulldogs 48-27, which usually lends itself to a dominant win.
However, Florida seemed to shoot themselves in the foot whenever given the opportunity. UF turned the ball over a whopping 19 times, a few of which came when the Gators attempted to control the clock late, which did not work in their favor.
Once the game reached the extra quarter, however, Florida kicked into gear and secured its fourth SEC win of the season.
Florida was led offensively sophomore center Micah Handlogten, who scored a career-high 23 points along with 17 rebounds.
The Gators also had three other players that played 39 or more minutes in the contest, all of whom scored 18 or more points.
Junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. had 18 points, including four three-pointers, junior guard Will Richard also scored 18, and senior guard Zion Pullin added 20 more points.
Seven of Pullin’s points came in OT, where the Gators prevailed due to their proficiency from the free-throw line. For the second straight game, UF shot 85% from the charity stripe, showing improvement from the lackluster free throw efforts this season.
Much of Georgia’s comeback in the matchup should be attributed to junior guard RJ Melendez, who came off the bench to score 35 points on 13-19 shooting. Melendez also had six three-pointers made on 10 attempts.
Florida’s decision to slow the tempo and control their lead almost came back to bite them, but they ultimately added another W to the win column, which makes it three straight.
Now, the Gators will travel to Lexington to face the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats (14-4), who previously defeated UF in Gainesville earlier this month. That game will take place on Wednesday.