GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida ran out of gas and answers against No. 15 Alabama, dropping their SEC opener 83-70 Wednesday night after a two-week layoff and a COVID-19 outbreak.
The Gators (9-4, 0-1 SEC) initially looked no worse for the wear while displaying the energy and grit that elevated them into the Top 25 in November. But a 39-36 halftime lead quickly evaporated as the Crimson Tide’s pushed the tempo and clamped down on defense to pull away.
Alabama (11-3, 2-0 SEC) outscored the Gators 22-4 out of the break, including a 17-1 run featuring five Florida turnovers — three by center Colin Castleton. Florida missed its first nine shots after intermission until a 3-pointer by Myreon Jones.
A dunk by Keon Ellis pushed the Crimson Tide’s lead to 58-43, their largest advantage of the night. But another 3 by Jones cut the advantage to 10 points at 62-52 and ignited a Gators’ charge.
Consecutive basketball by Castleton and a 3 from CJ Felder cut the lead to 66-60 with 6:44 remaining. A free thrown by Castelton made it 66-61. Yet Florida could get no closer, potentially putting coach Mike White’s team in a jam early in league play.
A visit Saturday to No. 9 Auburn and Jan. 12 visit from No. 21 LSU give the Gators little time to regroup.
Beyond the performances of Castleton and Felder, the Gators ended the night with little to build on.
Castleton finished with a team-high 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting and seven rebounds. Coming off the bench, Felder had season-highs with 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting and six rebounds.
The rest of the Gators shot 10 of 32, including a 1 of 6 night from point guard Tyree Appleby and 0 of 6 effort from Philandrous Fleming.
Alabama forward Juwan Gary and guard Jahvon Quinerly led five double-figure scorers with 19 points each. Gary added a game-high eight rebounds.
