Party like it’s 1996.
Auburn basketball ended a 30-year drought in Gainesville on Saturday with a 76-67 win over Florida at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
The win not only ended a 15-game losing streak to the Gators on their home floor, but also marked Auburn’s third victory in a row, its third over a ranked opponent this season, and Steven Pearl’s fifth win over a Final Four coach – despite the fact he’s only been head coach for 20 games.
“That’s an unbelievable win for our ballclub,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl. “We’ve been here for 11 years. That might be the best road win that we’ve ever had as a program. If you look back at Auburn basketball history, that might be one of the best road wins we’ve ever had. I thought our guys, for about 32 minutes, executed the gameplan to perfection.”
Auburn took the fight to Florida from the tip, surging out to an early 15-5 lead behind a perfect 5-of-5 mark from the field. Keyshawn Hall tallied the Tigers’ first 10 points – all in the first four possessions. He notched 22 first-half points and finished his night with seven rebounds and a team-high four assists.
Florida used a 13-2 run after the under-12 timeout in the first half to cut the Tigers’ lead to three, but Auburn fought back with a 22-9 run to carry a 43-28 lead into the break.
Per the ESPN broadcast, it was the first time this season Florida was held under 30 points in the first half on its home floor this season.
“We were swarming to the ball,” said Pearl. “We didn’t let their size affect us. We wanted to make them settle for jump shots. The biggest difference in the first half was that we held them to four offensive rebounds (on 16 missed shots). It’s the reason why we won the game.”
Auburn came out of the break and stretched its lead to 18 after a Sebastian Williams-Adam’s 3-pointer to open the second-half scoring. Shortly after, Florida answered with its second 13-2 run of the contest, cutting Auburn’s lead to single digits for the first time since the 7:47 mark in the first half.
The Tigers found themselves tied at 56 apiece after a slew of turnovers (five) and a Florida 29-11 run out of the break.
Florida’s Thomas Haugh scored 14 second-half points, but endured a seven-and-a-half minute stretch without a basket as Auburn halted the Gators’ momentum.
“They had all the momentum in the world,” Pearl said. “Our guys responded and did a great job of taking that team’s punch. Our team did a great job of hanging in there and staying together.”
Auburn converted on 19 of its 21 free throw attempts and owned a 38-28 advantage in the paint while holding Florida to its second-lowest point total of the season.
“Our team three weeks ago would not have won this game,” said Pearl. “That speaks to our growth as a team, our growth as a staff, and our kids’ willingness to stick together and lock into the details of the things we’ve been harping on every single day in practice. We’ve continuously gotten better as a group.”
Auburn will return home next Wednesday to face Texas at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
“For us, it’s about what we do from here,” Pearl said. “While we beat probably the best team in our league on the road – while we never got too low – we can’t let this get us too high. If we let this affect us in a way that distracts us from the next one, then it really doesn’t mean anything. We’ve got to get on to the next one.” TG
