Florida Gators
Kentucky
Men's Hoops Falls to Kentucky 68-65
Wednesday, February 4, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Unable to hold on to an 11-point lead with just under seven minutes remaining, No. 21 Florida fell to No. 9 Kentucky, 68-65, before a Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd of 12,330. The Gators went scoreless from the field in the final 2:57 allowing Kentucky to reclaim the lead.
"In the last five minutes I think our team played not to lose," said head coach Billy Donovan. "We allowed Kentucky to pressure us an create some turnovers. We went from playing extremely well to not playing well at all."
The Gators appeared in control after a pair of free throws by Matt Walsh gave them a 65-57 lead with 2:57 remaining. But Kelenna Azubuike's 3-pointer started the Wildcats' comeback 18 seconds later.
Hawkins made a key play when he stole the inbounds pass and scored on a driving layup to give Kentucky a 66-65 lead with 1:13 left. After Anthony Roberson missed a layup on Florida's next possession, Chuck Hayes converted 1-of-2 from the line to make it 67-65 with 23 seconds remaining.
Florida went for the win, but Roberson missed an off-balance 3-pointer from the left corner. After Hawkins' free throw, Walsh stepped out of bounds at mid-court with a second to play.
Cliff Hawkins' free throw with 3.4 seconds left capped a game-ending 11-0 spurt as the Wildcats rallied the victory.
Kentucky jumped out to an early 16-7 lead in the first half, but Florida was able to overcome its eight minute scoring drought and outscored the Wildcats 20-14 in the last 7:19 to go into intermission down by four, 33-29.
The Gators surged in the second half putting together a 14-0 run, giving Florida their first advantage of the game. Despite leading by as many as 11 points, the Gators could not seal the victory.
"A loss is a loss," said Adrian Moss. "All losses are hard. It's basketball, it happens. We have to take it in stride and come back stronger."
Erik Daniels led all scorers with 22 points. Anthony Roberson led the team with 19 points, adding four rebounds. Matt Walsh, who scored 16, was the only other Gator to score in double figures.
The Gators return to action Saturday, February 7 at home vs. Vanderbilt at 7:30 p.m.
