Auburn Arena | Auburn, Ala.
Box Score<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2022_1_8_2022-5F01-5F08-5FUF-5Fat-5FAU.pdf&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=hs3oIr8DIUbwiYauiqtkwp0IUMZt2QPpvNPeipWgHjM3py5m-DDokYl4ROwjV1d8&s=ebVjD7yBDbp0UwCU3eGZ27nFrUCeW1qWWOyyX7B4igI&e= > | Season Stats<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2021_11_9_2021-5F22-5FUFStats.pdf&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=hs3oIr8DIUbwiYauiqtkwp0IUMZt2QPpvNPeipWgHjM3py5m-DDokYl4ROwjV1d8&s=ksxYACRxH9zKZt4eDggJuglcOjU0f0UTIrp-y2NgpQI&e= >
Records: Florida 9-5 (0-2 SEC); #9 Auburn 14-1 (3-0 SEC)
Next up for Florida: Home vs. LSU, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 7 p.m., TBA – ESPN2 or ESPNU
Notable
* Florida drops to 5-3 in the Auburn series under Mike White, and UF now stands at 5-62 all-time in road games vs. AP top-10 opponents.
* After falling behind by 13 points early, 24-11, and trailing by nine at the half, 39-30, the Gators closed within one, 60-59, with 8:37 left in the game.
* Tyree Appleby came within one assist of a double-double, dishing nine, his most as a Gator. The point guard stuffed the box score with 11 points, four rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot. He also drew three offensive fouls on the Tigers.
* Colin Castleton posted 22 points and 10 rebounds, his second 20-point game of the season and earned his sixth double-double.
* It marked the first 20-point, 10-rebound game by a Gator since Castleton’s 21 and 10 vs. Ole Miss (1/12/21).
* Anthony Duruji added 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting, including a pair of finishes on Appleby alley-oops.
* Florida posted a 21-2 edge on second-chance points.
Head Coach Mike White
On the team’s second-half performance compared to last game…
“I thought Auburn was terrific. I thought we were pretty good. I think Auburn would have beat 99 percent of teams in college basketball tonight with the way they shot the ball. They hit some late-clock daggers, they hit some contested floaters, some other contested jumpers, mid-clock shots and executed well. They were really good tonight, especially offensively. They are one of the best defensive teams in the country. I thought we missed some clean looks and still came in here and got 73. We only had 12 turnovers, and really cleaned some stuff up after some turnovers early. I thought we defended the glass pretty well, even though they made a lot of them. I thought we got better here these last three days. It’s a tough, SEC schedule. These guys are terrific and they were better. But, with that being said, I thought we played really hard. Unfortunately, a good offense always beats a good defense.”
On Colin Castleton’s performance…
“He was terrific, he was poised and he played within himself. He missed a couple of shots, but his confidence level didn’t waiver. He demanded it, he drew fouls, he drew extra defenders, kind of got them in rotations a few times, and probably should have had a couple more assists. Again, one of the best front courts in the country and Colin obviously more than held his own. I thought he was terrific and I thought he played really well. And we didn’t advertise it, but we didn’t know he was going [today]. He hurt his shoulder a couple of days ago, practiced about five minutes that day, did not go yesterday and didn’t go until shootaround this morning. He gave it a go and we are fortunate that he did to make [the game] competitive.”
#4 Anthony Duruji, Senior, Forward
On what Auburn did to make it difficult for Florida…
“I think free throws cost us a little bit. I think we played really well and handled the ball – we didn’t turn it over as much. Turnovers have kind of been our kryptonite, but they hit a couple of tough threes and they are a really good team.”
On the turnovers and making simple plays…
“We scored 73 points and they are the best defensive team in our league and one of the top defenses in the nation. I think we made simple plays in the second half and didn’t really turn it over that much… I think we had about 12 turnovers. We got some open shots, but we just didn’t make them. We just have to continue to grow, get better and embrace the process.”
