Florida Gators basketball advances on buzzer beater

The (4) Florida Gators (27-8) are headed to the Elite Eight for the fifth time in seven years after defeating the (8) Wisconsin Badgers (29-10) in overtime at Madison Square Garden Friday night.
Regulation was a game of quarters as the Gators struggled early, took control from the end of the first half through most of the second and let a late lead go in the final minutes of the second half.
After going down by 11 in the first half, KeVaughn Allen led the Gators on a 21-8 run to take a 34-32 lead to the locker room.
The Gators let a 12-point lead of their own slip away in the final five minutes of the second half as Wisconsin would bring the game within three points and cut Florida’s lead to just 72-69 with 44 seconds remaining. A timely and unlikely three-pointer by Zak Showalter in the final seconds sent the game into overtime tied at 72.
Florida couldn’t buy a basket most of the overtime period, but the final 1:33 was all Gators as Canyon Barry, Allen, and of course, Chris Chiozza carried the game on their shoulders. After going down by as many as five points in overtime, Florida battled back to tie it at 81 with 24 seconds on the clock.
Wisconsin passed the ball down the court looking for a chance to go up by four points in the final minute, but Barry quickly got to the other end for a huge block that sent Chiozza storming back for a layup to tie it up.
The Gators opted to give Wisconsin a chance for the final shot and Justin Leon fouled Nigel Hayes sending him to the line for two-free throws to put Wisconsin up 83-81 with just four seconds left.
Florida put the ball in Chiozza’s hands to drive down the floor, and somehow, he drained a three that played out exactly like Showalter’s shot to end regulation. Emotion took over from there as the Gators closed out an improbable 84-83 win in overtime.
Chiozza only had eight points in the game, but he will forever be remembered for stepping up and taking that shot. Allen carried the Gators a majority of the game as he put up a career-high 35 points, going 11-for-24 from the field, 4-for-12 from three and a huge 9-for-10 from the foul line. He was the only double-figure scorer for Florida on the night.
The Gators will now face a familiar opponent in the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday in the Elite Eight. The Gamecocks had an improbable game of their own, defeating three-seed Baylor 70-50 earlier in the day.

Bailiegh Carlton
A lifelong sports fan, Bailiegh Carlton knew from a young age that she wanted to work in sports in some capacity. Before transferring to the University of Florida to study journalism, she played softball at Gulf Coast State College. She then interned for Gator Country for three years as she worked toward her degree. After graduation, Bailiegh decided to explore other opportunities in the world of sports, but all roads led her right back here. In her time away, she and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. When she isn't working, she can almost always be found snuggled up with sweet baby Ridley, Cody and her four fur babies.