In a Final Four battle of top-seeded SEC foes, Florida and Auburn lived up to the pregame hype. Both teams played well, keeping the game tight until the final minutes. But Florida pulled away in the last four minutes, turning a one-point lead to a 79-73 win and pushing on to the national championship game.
Florida vs. Auburn Box Score
Florida
Auburn
Florida vs. Auburn Game Summary
In a back and forth game early, Florida’s Walter Clayton pulled the Gators within 29-27 on a layup with 6:01 lef to play in the first half. But over the next three and a half minutes, Auburn went on an 11-4 run to open a 40-31 advantage on a Johni Broome jumper with 2:31 to go in the half.
The Tigers finished strong, staking a 46-38 halftime advantage.
Auburn pushed its edge to 49-40 on a Broome free throw with 18:24 to play. But Florida then went on an 11-0 run to claim the lead on a Clayton layup with 15:30 remaining.
From there, the game ebbed back and forth, with neither team able to pull away easily. Auburn pulled within 69-68 on a Denver Jones 3-pointer with 4:01 to play, but wouldn’t retake the lead. Clayton followed with a layup, a jumper and a free throw.
Florida was led by 34 points from Walter Clayton Jr., including 5-for-8 3-point shooting. Alijah Martin added 17 points for the Gators, including a pair of 3-point buckets. Thomas Haugh also chipped in 12 points.
Auburn was paced by guard Chad Baker-Mazara, who had 18 points, including four 3-pointers. All-American Johni Broome had 15 points and seven rebounds. Denver Jones chipped in 10 points.
Florida will face the winner of the nightcap between Duke and Houston. The Gators haven’t reached the NCAA title game since 2007. Florida won the title game that year and the previous year and lost in the 2000 title game.
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Edited by Joe Cox
