ChompTalk.com

College basketball fans were in for a treat Saturday night as the No. 24 Florida Gators (18-8, 8-5 SEC) dueled with the SEC-leading No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide (19-7, 11-2 SEC).

In a thrilling matchup that went all the way into overtime, the Crimson Tide edged out the Gators 98-93.

Florida junior guard Walter Clayton Jr.’s attempt at a game-tying three-pointer fell just short, and the Tide nailed two free-throws with just one second remaining to clinch the OT win.

Clayton Jr. led the Gators with 27 points, while also racking up eight rebounds and five assists.

Alongside the dynamic junior guard, Florida had four other double digit scorers. Junior guard Will Richard and senior guard Zyon Pullin had 17 points each respectively, while senior forward Tyrese Samuel added 14 more points with eight rebounds.

The Gators’ big man duo also played a major factor in the matchup. Freshman forward Alex Condon had 10 points, and senior center Micah Handlogten had five points, 13 rebounds (nine offensive) and three crucial blocks in the contest.

One such block came in the final play of regulation, where Handlogten swatted a shot attempt from Alabama’s star senior guard Mark Sears.

Sears was one of Alabama’s six players to score in double digits in the matchup. Senior forward Grant Nelson led the Tide with 22 points, while senior guard Aaron Estrada added another 20 for Alabama and sophomore guard Ryan Griffen scored 10 points.

Off the Alabama bench, senior forward Nick Pringle added 13 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in overtime. Also, Alabama freshman forward Sam Walters had 14 points, which included four three-point makes.

Despite an outstanding effort from Todd Golden’s Gators, the Tide were just too much to handle on a rowdy night in Tuscaloosa.

Now, the Gators, who are still the winners of seven of their last nine, will head back to Gainesville as they will host the Vanderbilt Commodores (7-18, 2-10 SEC) on Saturday.