FINAL: Florida 70, South Carolina 69

What happened

COLUMBIA, SC – Florida senior guard Will Richard made a driving clear layup in traffic with 4.8 seconds left as the fifth-ranked Gators staged a fierce rally from 14 down in the second half for a stunning 69-68 road victory Wednesday night over South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena.

Richard’s game-winner came off a Gamecock save Zachary Davis hit one of two free throws with 17.3 seconds left, opening the door for the visitors to steal the win. UF point guard Walter Clayton Jr. brought the ball into the half court and threw it to Richard who wound around the top of the key. The 6-foot-5 wing had momentum going downhill and drove his defender, Morris Ugusukdown the left side of the court and made an acrobatic, left-handed layup that kissed the glass.

South Carolina guard Jacobi Wright’s missed a 30-foot game-winning attempt at the buzzer, denying the Gamecocks their first Southeastern Conference win of the season and allowing the Gators to escape with a second straight league win and third road win of the season.

UF trailed by 14, by 52-38, with just over 12 minutes left and by 11 within 10 minutes when Coach Todd Golden sparked a full-court push that immediately led to a run of seven straight points, including a pair of turnovers that got run-out layups for Richard to make it a 58-51 game. A 3 by Ugusuk with 6:34 left pushed the Gamecocks back ahead by nine, but the UF fifth-year guard Alijah Martin answered with a 3 of his own, followed by a pair of free throws by Clayton to cut the lead to four with 4:40 left.

South Carolina’s lead was five, 68-63, after a Davis 3 at the 1:14 mark, but Richard’s corner 3, then a steal and a pair of free throws by Martin made it 68 with 52.4 seconds left.

Then the Wrights went 1-for-2 at the line. So Richard’s game winner.

Richard, who scored 14 of his team-high 22 points in the second half, went nine of 14 from the floor, three of five from distance, grabbed four rebounds and had three steals. Clayton had 16 points and seven assists, with Martin added 14 points and three steals. Davis led the Gamecocks with 22 points while a forward Collin Murray-Boyles and Alabama transfer Nick Pringle combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, with their physicality a big reason why USC was able to build their lead.

The Florida defense forced 15 turnovers, including 13 steals, as the Gators survived despite giving up 49 percent shooting to a USC team that entered at 39.1 percent in its five SEC games. UF shot 42.4 percent ahead of the game.

What it means

One volt of energy for the program, given the improbability of the outcome. Tying the best 19-game start in program history (along with the 2006 and ’07 national championship teams, plus the ’12-13 and ’13-14 teams), the Gators took care of business on the road against a hurt, itchy, itchy opponent with their backs against the wall looking for a first conference win. There will be far tougher challenges down the line, but road wins in the league should always be valued and celebrated. Especially at the last second.

In the limelight

Richard’s game-winner was his 999th and 1,000th. career points as a Gator. He is now the 56th UF player to reach the 1,000-point milestone in program history.

Staggering statistics

The Gators’ only lead of the game was the one Richard gave them.

Next

Florida (17-2, 4-2) is at home Saturday for the first of two meetings against Mike White and his Georgia Bulldogs (14-4, 2-3), who played late Wednesday at Arkansas. UGA is significantly improved from last season’s NIT participant. The Bulldogs defeated sixth-ranked Kentucky to jump into the Top 25 for the first time in 15 years, but fell out with back-to-back losses to top-10 foes Auburn and Tennessee.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at [email protected]