Florida Gators basketball suffers first home loss to Vanderbilt

It was a battle from the start between the Florida Gators basketball  (14-5, 5-2 SEC) and Vanderbilt Commodores (9-10, 3-4 SEC). In a game that finished with 10 lead changes and nine times tied, the Commodores came out with a victory in the final seconds.

The 68-66 loss was the first home loss of the season for the Gators and the second consecutive loss after falling to South Carolina earlier in the week.

Down by two with 32 seconds remaining, Florida opted not to foul Vanderbilt and came up with a KeVaughn Allen steal with nine seconds to go in the game. Allen was forced to throw up a prayer from beyond the arc in the final seconds that would have won the game for the Gators, but it was in-and-out. Vanderbilt came up with the defensive rebound to end the game.

Vanderbilt’s charge was led by Matthew Fisher-Davis, who had 19 points on the game. Riley LaChance and Luke Kornet were just behind with 11 points. The trio of Fisher-Davis, LaChance, and Kornet combined for nine of Vanderbilt’s 10 three-pointers on the night. The commodores finished 10-for-25 from three-point range, but the real dagger came from the free-throw lane, as they finished with 92.3 percent (12-for-13) completion from the line.

Allen finished with nearly half of Florida’s total offense, with 29 points. Allen was 10-for-18 from the field, 5-for-12 from three, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. After three rough games in a row, Allen finally had his shot back. It was his sixth 20-plus point game of the season. Devin Robinson finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Coming Up Next:

After two tough losses in a row, the Gators head to Baton Rouge, LA to take on LSU. The game will air at 9 p.m. on SEC Network.

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.