University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Florida
Georgia Falls to Florida in Double-OT
January 25, 2011 | Men's Basketball
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Jan. 25, 2011
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ATHENS ----- Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton scored 24 points each and Florida broken open a tight thriller by controlling the second overtime as the 24th-ranked Gators defeated Georgia 104-91 here Tuesday night.
Walker forced a second extra period when he sank a long 3-pointer with one second in the first overtime. From there, the Gators (16-4, 5-1) scored the first nine points of the second overtime, led by five straight from Chandler Parsons. His drive and left-handed layup with 2:24 left put Florida ahead 94-85.
Florida's victory overshadowed a miraculous comeback by Georgia (14-5, 3-3) in the waning moments of regulation time. The Bulldogs trailed 72-64 inside the 3-minute mark but capitalized on key missed free throws by Florida late in the game.
Gerald Robinson's 3-pointer with 22 seconds left pulled Georgia within 72-71 and, after one of two foul shots by Walker, the Bulldogs tied the score at 73 on a putback by Trey Thompkins.
"I'm really proud of our team," Georgia coach Mark Fox said. "Our kids played their tails off and Florida did, too. We just came up short. I felt like in the second overtime we were fatigued a little bit, and Florida got the lead and we couldn't respond."
After Georgia forced extra time, the Bulldogs inched ahead in the final seconds of a first overtime which featured eight lead changes. Foul shots by reserve guard Sherrard Brantley gave them an 83-82 lead with 39 seconds left. After Jeremy Price recovered a loose ball, he was fouled with six seconds remaining, and his two free throws put Georgia ahead 85-82.
After a Florida timeout, Walker took the inbounds pass, drove across midcourt and swished a tying 3-pointer an estimated 30 feet in length.
Georgia bounced back from an early deficit to take brief control of this game in the first half. A 3-point play, followed by a 3-pointer, from Thompkins pushed the Bulldogs ahead by their largest margin of the game at 30-22 with 8:36 left before halftime.
The Gators, however, climbed even before intermission and surged ahead midway through the second period. Vernon Macklin's 3-point play at the 11:43 mark got his team a 60-52 advantage, a margin Florida kept until the dramatic final moments of regulation.
Georgia resumes the 2011 season this Saturday at Kentucky in a 4:00 p.m. tipoff.
