Keyshawn Hall scored 24 points and Auburn ended No. 16 Florida’s five-game winning streak by defeating the Gators 76-67 on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.
KeShawn Murphy added 16 points, Tahaad Pettiford had 11 and Kevin Overton scored 10 for the Tigers (13-7, 4-3 SEC), who won for the fourth time in five games.
Thomas Haugh recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds, Urban Klavzar scored 12 and Rueben Chinyelu added 10, though his seven rebounds left him short of what would have been his fifth consecutive double-double, for the Gators (14-6, 5-2).
Sebastian Williams-Adams made a 3-pointer to start the second-half scoring and give Auburn a 46-28 lead. Florida scored the next six points before Elyjah Freeman answered with a layup for the Tigers.
The Gators used a 7-0 run to get within 48-41, but Auburn rebuilt the lead to nine points twice. Haugh made a 3-pointer and another field goal to start an 11-2 run that evened the score at 54.
The score was tied again at 56 before two jumpers by Pettiford and one by Overton gave the Tigers a six-point lead. Chinleyu’s two free throws pulled Florida within four with 2:48 left, but consecutive field goals by Williams-Adams and Overton doubled the lead.
Haugh’s three-point play with 1:11 left ended a nearly eight-minute field-goal drought for the Gators, who got no closer than five points after that.
Hall scored the Tigers’ first 10 points, Pettiford made a 3-pointer for the first points by another Auburn player and added a layup as Auburn raced to a 19-5 lead.
Boogie Fland made the Gators’ first field goal in nearly three minutes and turned it into a three-point play and Klavzar and Xaivian Lee each made a 3-pointer to pull Florida within 21-18.
Murphy made a layup and Hall followed with eight points during a 10-1 run that expanded the lead to 12 points. Haugh made a 3-pointer for the Gators, but the Tigers pushed the lead to 35-22.
Hall scored the final four of his 22 first-half points to give Auburn a 43-28 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
