Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI, SFR
Begin forwarded message:
From: JunoGator <broadreachfsc@earthlink.net>
Date: February 20, 2014 at 7:11:08 AM CST
To: GatorNEWS Lyons <gatornews@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [gatornews] GatorNews from the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, courtesy of JunoGator
Reply-To: gatornews+owners@googlegroups.com
66
Final 1 2 Tot 38 28 66 30 41 71
71
7:00 ET, Feb 19, 2014
Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida Attendance: 12,414Young free throws help Florida beat Auburn, 71-66
Related
Auburn guard KT Harrell (1) tries to get past Florida forward Casey Prather (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday Feb. 19, 2014 in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)Florida guard Scottie Wilbekin (5) shoots for three points with Auburn guard Chris Denson (3) trying to break up the shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday Feb. 19, 2014 in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)Auburn forward Alex Thompson (20) gets a hand on the ball to keep Florida forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) from making his shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday Feb. 19, 2014 in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)Florida guard Scottie Wilbekin (5) does the gator chomp after Florida defeated Auburn 71-66 during an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday Feb. 19, 2014 in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)(AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan hadn't planned on having center Patric Young for its game against Auburn because of a flareup of the tendinitis in the his knees. However, when pregame warmups were finished, Young told his coach he could play.
That decision turned out to be crucial in saving the Gators' school-record 18-game winning streak. The victory (also) kept the Gators (24-2, 13-0) perfect in Southeastern Conference play (and) was also Florida's 31st consecutive home victory. Young hit a pair of free throws with 19 seconds remaining to break a tie and added another after Auburn committed a crucial turnover to seal second-ranked Florida's 71-66 victory at the O'Connell Center. (
"I've been practicing situations, like the opportunity to go to the Final Four with free throws as the game-winner," Young said about clutch late-game performance. "I was just telling myself, 'Be great. Strive to be great right now.'
"I've been working on my free throws and I just went up there and swished them like it was nothing," he said.
It wasn't the Gators' best effort but it may be good enough to put them atop The Associated Press college basketball poll for the first time since the 2006-07 season after No. 1 Syracuse's overtime loss to Boston College on Wednesday night. Provided, of course, the Gators beat host Ole Miss (16-10, 7-6) on Saturday.
"One of the things I talk to our guys about is that with our rankings and being undefeated in the league we get everyone's best shot," Donovan said. "But I like to look at it the other way. Are we going to give our best shot? I don't think that we did that today."
Young never mentioned he had chronic tendinitis in his knees. Donovan revealed that Young was hurting in his postgame news conference.
"He didn't warm up and he told me before the game that he could play," Donovan said. "His knees are ailing. I thought he was phenomenal in the second half. He played great. Where he'll be at tomorrow we'll probably have a better idea but him playing or how much we could play him today was in doubt."
Young didn't played well in the first half, missing his only shot from the field and grabbing just one rebound in 14 minutes. He wasn't the only one playing sluggishly, though. The Gators trailed 38-30 at the break, which the was the team's largest halftime deficit of the season. (The Gators' previous largest deficit was three points against Missouri, Kentucky and Wisconsin.)
"We definitely came out a little flat," said senior forward Casey Prather, who scored 16 points and had nine rebounds. "We weren't doing the things that we needed to do and should have done to win the game. I'm just glad we had a chance in the second half to continue to play basketball." (Scottie Wilbekin had 15.)
Young certainly responded in the second half. He scored all 17 of his points and grabbed six of his seven rebounds in the final 20 minutes. He hit five of his six shots in the second half and the 17 points tied a season high.
Florida had taken a 66-65 lead on Michael Frazier's 3-pointer with 40.5 seconds to play, but the Tigers tied it on a free throw by Chris Denson with 20 seconds remaining. Young grabbed the rebound on the missed foul shot and was immediately fouled.
Young, a 55.9 percent career free throw shooter, hit the two free throws to give the Gators the lead for good and ensure they'd extend their home winning streak to 31 consecutive games.
Auburn led by as much as eight points early in the second half but the Gators worked their way back and the teams traded the lead into the final minute. Auburn (12-12, 4-9) nearly pulled off the upset because of its 3-point shooting. The Tigers made 10 of 19 3-point shots. Tahj Shamsid-Deen led the Tigers with 17 points and made 5 of 8 3-point shots. (
Auburn, though, made a costly mistake in the final seconds. After Young's free throws put the Gators up 68-66, Allen Payne's inbounds pass to K.T. Harrell bounced out of bounds. Harrell had glanced up-court and never saw the ball and it ricocheted off his arm and into the Florida bench.
Joakim Noah's 13 assists a marvel
BY K.C. JOHNSON
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
TORONTO -- Given how much Joakim Noah has credited Brad Miller for teaching him, this seemed fitting, if not inevitable.
According to Bulls radio producer Jeff Mangurten's research, Noah became the first center with three games of 10 or more assists in a season since Miller posted five for the Kings in 2005-06.
That the feat has come in Noah's last five games makes it even more impressive.
Noah finished with a career-high 13 Wednesday night in the 94-92 victory over the Raptors after posting 11 against the Warriors and Hawks earlier this month. He's the first center with 13 since Vlade Divac in April 1996.
"Joakim has gone to a completely different level," coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Deadline day: Echoing comments general manager Gar Forman and executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson made last week, Thibodeau said he would be surprised if the Bulls made a trade before Thursday's 2 p.m. deadline.
Despite rumors, the Bulls have shown no desire to move Mike Dunleavy because he's an affordable rotation player who fits next season.
"I talked to Gar and John just to see what their take is," Thibodeau said. "You just lock into what you have. It doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of movement. I feel real good about the guys we do have."
Familiar face: Wednesday marked D.J. Augustin's first trip back since the Raptors waived him Dec. 9. Augustin has been an offensive revelation for the scoring-challenged Bulls.
"I think it's great for D.J.," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "He didn't have the opportunity here because of how Kyle (Lowry) was playing. I'm happy for him because he's a great young man."
Augustin hit a huge 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 43 seconds left, a heave to beat the shot clock that produced a seven-point lead.
Layups: New Bull Jarvis Varnado, on a 10-day contract, said he's a defense-first guy who will bring energy if he plays. "I'm happy to be here and looking forward to sticking," he said. ... A mix-up occurred on the official scorer's starters list, prompting Taj Gibson to get announced as the starting small forward. Dunleavy, the proper starter, ran out. Gibson later fouled out.
62
Final - OT 1 2 OT Tot 17 33 12 62 25 25 9 59
59
7:00 ET, Feb 19, 2014
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York Attendance: 26,716Boston College stuns No. 1 Syracuse 62-59 in OT
(AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)By JOHN KEKISAP Sports WriterSYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) To a man, the Boston College Eagles were convinced of one thing: DK was looking down on them.
Olivier Hanlan and Patrick Heckmann hit 3-pointers in overtime, Lonnie Jackson made four straight free throws in the final 26.2 seconds, and lowly BC stunned top-ranked Syracuse 62-59 on Wednesday night, ending the Orange's unbeaten season.
"It was an emotional game for us," BC coach Steve Donahue said after his first Carrier Dome win in eight tries against the Orange. "It's been incredible for these guys to persevere. We've played well in a lot of games."
The Eagles came to town with heavy hearts and a good dose of determination. Longtime basketball media contact and sports information assistant Dick Kelley died last week after a two-year battle with ALS. His funeral was Tuesday and the Eagles, who often visited his apartment, were wearing "DK" patches on their uniforms.
"The patch on our chests, toward the end of the game it was like, `We can't be denied. DK is looking down on us. He's got us,'" forward Ryan Anderson said. "It's real emotional. It's really going to set in in a couple of hours."
Boston College (7-19, 3-10 Atlantic Coast Conference), which had lost five straight, rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to pull off the improbable upset. The Eagles had dropped six games by four points or fewer, including 74-71 at Georgia Tech and 73-69 to Notre Dame in the last week.
"We've been in a lot of close games this year, lost a lot of heartbreakers," said Jackson, who was just 9 of 16 from the free throw line in conference play entering the game. "We've been in this before, so we just had to rely on that. Finally, the ball bounced our way."
Syracuse (25-1, 12-1) travels to No. 5 Duke on Saturday night for a rematch of their overtime instant classic on Feb. 1.
The loss leaves No. 3 Wichita State (28-0), which beat Loyola of Chicago 88-74 on Wednesday night, as the lone unbeaten in Division I.
The Eagles, whose only conference wins this season were over Virginia Tech, beat a No. 1-ranked team for the third time and first since knocking off then-No. 1 North Carolina in 2009.
Syracuse, which had won its last two games by a combined three points, shot a season-low 32.2 percent from the field including going 2 of 12 from 3-point range, its sputtering offense unable to pull off another miracle finish.
"When you get in enough of these games, there's going to be one you're not going to make a play. That's what happens," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "At the end of games, you get into enough of these games, you're not going to win.
"I'm really happy that we've won 25 games," Boeheim said. "We can't think about that. We've got to think about what we have to going forward. We've really got to get better, and I think we will. It's been an unbelievable run, I've never seen anything like it before. It's remarkable what they've done."
Tied at 50 after two halves played at Boston College's deliberate pace, Hanlan and Heckmann hit from long range to give BC a 56-52 lead with 2:56 left, but Tyler Ennis' driving layup knotted the score at 56 with 2:09 to play.
A free throw by Ennis gave the Orange a one-point lead, but Heckmann's backdoor layup put the Eagles back in front with 43.5 seconds left.
After a timeout, Ennis threw a pass toward C.J. Fair in the right corner that sailed out of bounds. After the officials initially ruled it was Syracuse's ball a video review with 32.5 seconds left re-affirmed the call. It didn't matter when Fair missed a drive and Jackson sealed the victory with his clutch free throws.
Hanlan finished with 20 points and Jackson had 10. Anderson had nine points and 14 rebounds, but the Eagles won it by going 11 of 22 from behind the arc. They committed 15 turnovers, three after halftime.
Fair finished with 20 points on 7-of-23 shooting and had 11 rebounds. Ennis had 14 points and six assists and Jerami Grant finished with 11 points.
Syracuse won 58-56 at Pittsburgh a week ago and 56-55 over North Carolina State in the Carrier Dome on Saturday night - as the Orange had walked a tightrope much of the season.
Grant's spinning layup on a drive through the lane gave Syracuse a 50-48 lead with 77 seconds left in regulation, but Hanlan tied it with a layup 30 seconds later.
After a timeout, Ennis missed a layup attempt but snared his own rebound and Boeheim called a timeout with 20 seconds left to set up a final shot. But Rakeem Christmas missed a hook in the lane just before the buzzer to force overtime.
BC was called for two shot-clock violations in the final 5 minutes, squandering a chance to win it in regulation.
BC figured to attack the Syracuse zone inside-out with Jackson leading the ACC in shooting at 50 percent (34 of 68) from behind the arc and Joe Rahon and Hanlan each with 21 3-pointers. Eddie Odio averaging 42.4 percent from long range, also started.
BC trailed by eight points at halftime and by as many 13 in the second half before its outside game came alive. Hanlan hit three from behind the arc and Rahon had two in a 7-minute span to key a 21-8 spurt, and Anderson's layup tied it at 41-all with 8:15 left.
A 3 by Rahon from the left corner made it 46-42 with 6:09 to go. Syracuse tied it at 46 on Ennis' driving layup with 5:09 left, but he committed a turnover on the ensuing possession and Heckmann's layup put BC back in front 48-46 at 3:30.
The Orange tied it at 48 on a free throw by Christmas with 2:23 to play.
Syracuse started badly, missing its first seven shots and falling behind 7-2 as Jackson drained two 3s in the first 5 minutes. Fair notched the Orange's first basket on a reverse layup at 14:19.
Fair, Syracuse's leading scorer, had eight of the Orange's first 12 points, but half those points were on free throws as he missed eight of his first 10 shots. Syracuse shot 34.5 percent (10 of 29) and missed all six attempts from long range in the first half.
Grant's three-point play gave Syracuse a 25-17 lead at halftime as the Orange held Boston College's top scorers in check. Hanlan was 1 of 5 from the field and Anderson 1 of 4.
The Orange boosted the lead to 33-20 on Ennis' 3 from the wing with 17:25 left.
Syracuse won at Boston College a little more than a month ago. The Orange trailed 51-46 with just over 10 minutes to play, then took advantage of their size inside during a 16-1 run over a span of less than 4 minutes and won 69-59.
Recap: Florida vs. Auburn
BY SPORTS NETWORK
THE SPORTS NETWORK
Gainesville, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Patric Young hit two critical free throws that snapped a tie game with 19.4 seconds left, and No. 2 Florida survived a major scare from a gritty Auburn team to come through with a 71-66 victory at the O'Connell Center.
The Gators (24-2, 13-0 SEC) set a program record with their 18th consecutive win and 30th straight on their home court, but it was anything but easy. The SEC front-runners trailed 38-30 at halftime and 65-63 with two minutes left prior to putting together a game-ending 8-1 run.
Young led the way by netting all 17 of his points in the second half and going 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Casey Prather added 16 points and nine rebounds, with Scottie Wilbekin chipping in 15 points for Florida.
Auburn (12-12, 4-9) hung with the Gators until the final moments by knocking down 10-of-19 shots from 3-point range, but faltered down the stretch to negate the upset bid.
Tahj Shamsid-Deen made five treys while matching a career-high with 17 points, with Chris Denson and KT Harrell finishing with 15 and 14, respectively.
"I thought Auburn outplayed us, saying it like it us," Gators head coach Billy Donovan remarked. "We did not do a very good job defensively. Give Auburn credit, because they really shot the ball extremely well."
A nip-and-tuck contest throughout was deadlocked at 63-63 when Denson was fouled while driving to the basket with 2:06 remaining and calmly made both foul shots to send Auburn ahead. Both teams then failed to score on their following possessions before Michael Frazier put the Gators back in front with a clutch 3-pointer with 40.5 seconds to go.
Denson again drew a foul on the Tigers' next trip, but missed his second try and Asauhn Dixon-Tatum inexplicably fouled Young on the rebound with the score knotted at 66-66.
The 57 percent free throw shooter got both attempts to go down, and Auburn committed another mental error when Harrell didn't turn back to catch Allen Payne's inbounds pass and the ball sailed out of bounds with 18.6 seconds on the clock.
Wilbekin was promptly fouled and made both shots to enable Florida to escape victorious. The Gators finished 23-of-28 from the foul line.
"You've got to give Florida credit. They're a championship team," said Auburn head coach Tony Barbee. "They don't beat themselves. We beat ourselves in those waning moments. They didn't beat themselves."
Auburn opened up a 48-43 lead with 13 minutes left behind a 7-2 push, but the Gators responded with an 11-3 surge to regain the upper hand. Will Yeguete followed a 3-point play from Young with two free throws that gave the hosts a 52-51 edge that was extended to three with 8:59 remaining after Wilbekin subsequently sank a runner off a Prather steal.
The lead would change hands six more times the rest of the way, with neither side up by more than three points until Florida pulled away in the final seconds.
Auburn built its 38-30 halftime advantage -- the Gators' largest deficit of the season at the break -- on the strength of outstanding perimeter shooting, particularly from Shamsid-Deen. The freshman point guard buried 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc during a 14-point period, and the Tigers made eight straight buckets during a six-minute stretch that gained them the upper hand.
Shamsid-Deen canned two of those treys during a 12-0 run that put Auburn up by a 27-18 count with under six minutes to go in the half. Wilbekin countered by sinking threes on consecutive possessions to ignite a 9-2 surge from Florida, but the Tigers drained three more triples to close out the frame on a 9-3 burst.
"Coming into the half we were not there [mentally] like I thought we needed to be," said Donovan.
The Gators began the second half with a vengeance, however, netting 11 of the stanza's first 14 points to draw even. Back-to-back run-out slams by Young and Prather cut the margin to 41-39 before Young converted a reverse layup that tied the score with 16 1/2 minutes left.
Riggs to transfer to ND after starting at Florida
(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Defensive back Cody Riggs, who started all 12 games for Florida last season, is transferring to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility.
Riggs can play immediately because he is scheduled to graduate from Florida this spring.
The 5-9, 190-pound Riggs ranked fourth for the Gators last season with 51 tackles playing safety after previously playing cornerback. He also had three pass breakups and 1.5 sacks. He played in 40 games over three seasons, totaling 107 tackles, two sacks, an interception and eight pass breakups.
The Irish lose starting cornerback Bennett Jackson to graduation and started five players at safety last season.
Riggs is the son of former Atlanta Falcons standout running back Gerald Riggs Sr. and the nephew of former Notre Dame wide receiver Bobby Brown.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly called Riggs an outstanding player.
"Cody definitely brings veteran leadership and versatility to our team and defense," Kelly said. "He will help us immediately but, more importantly, Cody is a great kid with a tremendous focus on both football and academics."
Riggs said he was looking forward for the chance to be a leader for the Irish.
"I am very thankful for this opportunity," Riggs said. "I fully intend to make the most of this opportunity by not only giving my absolute best effort, but also leading by example both on and off the field."
Riggs received a medical redshirt for the 2012 season after playing in just two games.
HOOPS: No. 2 Gators stave off upset bid, win 18th straight
PAt young speaks on youtube:
GAINESVILLE -- For nearly 40 minutes, a heavyweight bout between David and Goliath broke out in the O'Connell Center.
Fortunately for No. 2 Florida, Auburn -- 17-point underdogs entering Wednesday's showdown -- eventually ran out of stones.
The Gators (24-2, 13-0 Southeastern Conference) won their 18th straight, as senior center Patric Young delivered a monster second half to stave off AU's upset bid en route to a 71-66 victory.
Young sank a pair of clutch free throws with 19.4 seconds remaining, as Auburn Auburn'd down the stretch while the Gators rallied late facing (mounting) pressure.
Young was (un)intentionally fouled by center Asauhn Dixon-Tatum after AU guard Chris Denson missed the possible go-ahead free throw.
"I just told myself, 'Be great. Strive to be great right now,'" Young said.
The Tigers (12-12, 4-9 SEC) threw away the ensuing impounds pass, capping a sudden imposition following a fearless effort most of the night.
"We beat ourselves in those waning moments," AU coach Tony Barbee said. "But they didn't beat themselves, so give them credit."
Young, dealing with chronic knee pain, wasn't even expected to play Wednesday and his first half effort looked like he'd made the wrong choice to suit up.
But the senior responded with a Herculean effort after halftime, scoring all 17 of his points in the second half, adding seven rebounds and three assists.
"I thought Pat was just phenomenal," UF coach Billy Donovan said.
But for most of the game, the Gators were anything but.
Florida trailed by eight at halftime (38-30), its largest home deficit this season. Following two tough road battles last week, the Gators -- visibly mentally and physically fatigued -- played like they were running on fumes.
"I thought Auburn outplayed us," Donovan said. "No question we're going to get everyone's best shot, but 'Are we going to give them our best shot?' I didn't think we did that today."
Florida struggled defensively, especially guarding the three-point line, as the Tigers drained 10 treys -- six in the first half.
Freshman guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen tied a career-high, scoring 17 points with five 3-pointers.
"We didn't play very well in the first half, but we never gave up," senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin said.
The Gators opened the second half on an 11-3 run but the game settled into a rowdy see-saw affair until Wilbekin (15 points, four assists), Prather (16 points, nine rebounds) and Young made the necessary plays late.
Florida finished the win on an 8-1 run, holding the Tigers scoreless from the field over the final three minutes of the game.
"We only got motivated because the game was in doubt," Donovan said. "I am very glad we won and I thought our guys showed resiliency."
THIS & THAT
Sophomore sniper-shooter Michael Frazier drilled a go-ahead triple with 41 seconds left in the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Frazier briefly exited the win with an apparent left hand injury, but Donovan said the sophomore is "fine." … The Gators shot 82 percent from the charity stripe (23-of-28), their best mark in conference play this season. … UF extended its school-record home winning streak to 30 games. … Dorian Finney-Smith was 0-for-4 from downtown. The redshirt sophomore has missed his last 21 attempts since Jan. 30.
--
--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorNews" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gatornews+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
No comments:
Post a Comment