Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
St. Bonaventure overcame a 15-point second half deficit but could not solve Florida in the closing minutes, falling 73-66 to the Gators on Thursday at Lakeland Center.
With 1:42 remaining, Matt Mobley tied the game at 66-66 on a three-point play. Florida regained the lead on two free throws with 58 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Mobley had to force a shot late in the shot clock and the Gators grabbed the miss and pushed it ahead for a dunk to go ahead 70-66. The Bonnies missed another shot and Florida again converted it into points to secure the win.
Mobley led all scorers with 28 points on 10-21 shooting. He was 6-12 from three-point range. Jaylen Adams finished with 20 points.
How It Happened:
St. Bonaventure saw some early turnovers lead to a 20-8 deficit by the 11:49 mark of the first half.
It was a 22-13 Florida lead with the Bonnies went on a strong surge, using a 10-4 run to pull back within 24-20 at the 7:48 mark.
Mobley sparked the run, scoring six of his first half points on a pair of three-pointers.
The Gators led 31-26 when Jaylen Adams made a deep three-pointer and followed those with a pair of free throws 21 seconds later to pull St. Bonaventure within one at 31-30.
Florida responded, scoring seven of the final nine points of the first half. Justin Leon made a three-pointer with three seconds left that gave the Gators a 38-32 lead at halftime.
The Gators scored the first eight points of the second half, including two three-pointers by KeVaughn Allen, to open a 45-32 lead two minutes into the half.
It was a 47-34 Florida lead when the Bonnies started to chip away, eventually scoring nine unanswered points to pull within 47-42 at the 13:40 mark. Adams capped the spurt with a three-pointer.
The see-saw action continued as Canyon Barry made a trio of three-pointers, the last of which pushed Florida’s lead to 15 at 60-45 midway through the half.
Adams turned things around for St. Bonaventure, scoring five quick points to pull the Bonnies back to 60-50.
Mobley then took over. He scored on a drive, Amadi Ikpeze made a jump-hook and Mobley made another three-pointer to cut the deficit to 60-57 with 5:27 remaining.
The teams traded scores over the next three minutes, but Mobley’s two three-pointers pulled the Bonnies within 64-63 with 2:41 left.
After Devin Robinson scored inside, Mobley drove the lane and converted a traditional three-point play that tied the game at 66 with 1:42 left.
St. Bonaventure forced a Florida miss but on the ensuing possession, Adams missed a shot and then fouled Barry on the rebound. With the Bonnies over the foul limit, Barry made two free throws to make it a 68-66 Florida lead with 58 seconds left.
The teams were even in most categories with the exception of free throws, where Florida went to the line 29 times, converting 19, while St. Bonaventure was just 9-14 at the line.
Both teams had 17 turnovers.
The Bonnies shot 38 percent from the field and were 9-27 from long range.
With starting center Chinonso Obokoh and Josh Ayeni both in foul trouble, freshman center Amadi Ikpeze played 19 strong minutes, totaling four points, three rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Despite being undersized, the Bonnies blocked eight shots to Florida’s six.
Beyond The Boxscore:
Mobley’s 28 points were the most of his young career at St. Bonaventure but not a career high. He had four 30-point games as a sophomore at Central Connecticut.
With nine rebounds Idris Taqqee came up just short of his second straight game with double-figure rebounds.
The Gators, who were picked to finish second in the SEC, received votes in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls this week.
This was just the second meeting between the schools; the Gators won the first meeting in 1977.
Up Next: The Bonnies will travel to Austin, Texas, to play in the Lone Star Showcase next week. Their first game will be Nov. 21 against Arkansas-Little Rock.
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