Gators Dig Out of 12-Point Hole to Bury LSU on Senior Night, 79-67

Florida digs itself out of a 12-point second-half hole to bury LSU Tigers in the 2022-23 regular-season finale.

Photo: Jason Jitoboh; Credit: University of Florida Creative Media

For the fourth time this season, the Florida Gators (16-15; 9-9 SEC) crawled out of a double-digit hole to bury their opponent with an 11-point victory over the LSU Tigers (13-18; 2-16 SEC) on Saturday evening.

The previous comeback wins came against Florida State (19), Georgia (13) and Missouri (11) earlier this year. 

Florida trailed by 12 points with 15:45 remaining in the contest but found a spark on the back of Riley Kugel's 21 points and Will Richard's 18 to triumph 79-67. They outscored the Tigers 47-23 from that point forward.

The first half dragged for Florida, as the unit shot just 38.7% from the floor through the first 20 minutes. Richard showed signs of continuing the dominance he displayed on the road at Georgia early on, accounting for a team-leading eight points heading into the locker room, but it wasn't enough to present sustainability offensively.

Despite the flat outing, the Gators trailed by just four heading into the locker room with ample opportunity to take control in half two.

That wasn't the case early, as LSU's intention on both ends of the floor was noticeably elevated compared to Florida's. The Tigers built a 12-point margin between the two over the first four minutes to signal what could be the beginning of the end for the Gators' chances.

Tigers forward KJ Williams dominated in the early portion of the second half, accounting for seven points on 3-for-3 from the floor. He finished with 19 points, but Florida mitigated his impact down the stretch.

However, a Riley Kugel three with 15:29 left in the second half marked the start of a turning point for Florida as he trimmed the lead to nine. It added the life that UF lacked throughout the game's first 25 minutes, as did the full-court trap press initiated by Todd Golden out of a timeout immediately following Kugel's triple.

Richard aided the comeback efforts with a tough And-1 bucket on the inside a few possessions later. 

Alex Fudge drew a charge to give the Gators the ball back on the ensuing defensive possession. While they couldn't capitalize immediately, the effort from Fudge kickstarted the Gators on both ends of the floor.

Kugel proceeded to knock down another pull-up three-point jumper off the dribble next time down the court to cut the deficit to just four, 45-41.

Kowacie Reeves Jr. proved critical moments later as he secured an offensive rebound off a missed free throw by Niels Lane. That possession led to a lay-in by Richard, making LSU's advantage just one. Reeves continued to get it done in every facet as he tipped the ball and took it the other direction for a fastbreak dunk, elevating Florida to retake the lead with 7:29 remaining.

Kugel closed it out for Florida as he displayed his elite offensive prowess and ability to score off the dribble in the final five minutes. It featured multiple shots from beyond the arc and crafty finishes at the rim around defenders.

Multiple other pieces aided Florida to crawl back into the contest and ultimately reign victorious, including senior guard Kyle Lofton. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block. 

Center Jason Jitoboh aided the unit to stay afloat with six first-half points.

The Gators are now locked into the eight-seed in the SEC Tournament. They'll face off against Mississippi State on Thursday.

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