GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Leading by two with under ten seconds remaining, Florida saw LSU's Jordan Wright leave a wide-open floater from inside the paint short on the final possession to narrowly avoid a dreaded letdown game on Tuesday night.
Freshly removed from an emotional, statement victory over the No. 12 Auburn Tigers on Saturday, the Gators held on against the LSU Tigers despite blowing a 20-point second-half lead to claim their 17th overall win and seventh SEC victory of the year.
Walter Clayton Jr.'s 21 points and three assists — including an explosive poster slam in transition to kickstart UF in the first half — catalyzed the unit's effort en route to the 82-80 win.
Backcourt mate Zyon Pullin, who forced a crucial late-game steal to allow Clayton to extend the lead to three with under a minute left, added 14 points to complement the showing.
Following a consistent back-and-forth affair for the first 15 minutes, Florida held a narrow lead against the noticeably game unit.
However, a Will Richard three-pointer moved the Florida lead beyond two possessions for the first time on the day. Clayton increased the margin to nine by throwing down the aforementioned emphatic poster one possession later.
The unit carried that momentum for the remainder of the first half, building a 14-point advantage to take into the halftime break.
The Gators led the Tigers 48-34 after 20 minutes.
Florida continued to add to its sizeable lead in the second half, executing a 10-0 over 1:36 in the first five minutes to claim a 20-point advantage over LSU.
It proved to be the largest of the contest.
LSU began to chip away at the lead via a 12-2 scoring run elicited by Florida's extended struggles to find the bottom of the net in the middle of the second half. Tigers' wing Tyrell Ward connected on a triple to culminate his team's comeback attempt, tying the contest at 78 with 1:33 remaining.
The Gators answered.
A Tyrese Samuel free throw, Pullin steal and ensuing Clayton lay-in allowed Florida to reclaim a three-point lead with 20 seconds remaining. Todd Golden's unit then used an Alex Condon free throw make to hold on by two points.
Clayton, Samuel and Pullin accounted for 50 points combined to help Florida escape.
With the win, the Gators move to 17-7 (7-4 SEC). They will trek to Athens (Ga.) on Saturday for round two with former head coach Mike White and rival Georgia Bulldogs.
Florida fended off a pesky Dawgs squad in a similar fashion to Tuesday night's thriller on its home hardwood earlier this season in overtime, 102-98.
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