Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Gators blow lead but still win
ATHENS, Ga. — Chris Chiozza scored 15 points, and No. 17 Florida recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat Georgia 72-60 on Tuesday night.
Kasey Hill had 12 points for Florida (19-5, 9-2 SEC), which has won five in a row. The Gators began the night one game behind Southeastern Conference leader South Carolina.
Yante Maten led Georgia (13-11, 4-7) with 19 points. The Bulldogs suffered their third straight loss, each to a ranked opponent.
The Gators’ winning streak includes an impressive 88-66 win Saturday over No. 8 Kentucky. Florida has made runaway wins look routine in its winning streak, and it appeared ready to pull away from the Bulldogs early. After Georgia led 5-0, Florida took the lead with a 13-2 run.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Devin Robinson and Justin Leon helped Florida stretch the advantage to 30-14. Georgia answered with a 15-0 run that included two 3-pointers from J.J. Frazier. The Bulldogs finally pulled even at 31-all on Maten’s fall-away jumper. Florida led 35-33 at halftime.
After Florida scored the first two baskets of the second half, Georgia could pull no closer than 5 points from the lead. A 3-pointer by Canyon Barry, who had 11 points, stretched Florida’s lead to 10 points at 48-38.
The Gators had 12 steals, including four by Chiozza. Florida took an 18-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Leon was called for his fourth foul and left the game with 10 points with 10:14 remaining. He returned but didn’t score again.
The Gators, who have their highest ranking of the season, are gaining momentum at the right time of the season. Florida’s NCAA RPI was No. 12 entering the game, leaving the Gators on track for a No. 4 or No. 5 NCAA Tournament seed.