With a Saturday night showdown barely underway, Auburn looked poised to blow the roof off Auburn Arena. The Tigers led Florida — which every soul in the building treated as a heavyweight — by 12-5 and 24-11 counts in the early goings, hitting tough threes and driving for difficult twos.
Florida found its composure and some game, though, and never quit fighting, gritting its teeth and going to work against an Auburn team more talented than any it has seen this season. The Gators gutted out the rest of the first half and much of the second half, whittling Auburn’s lead to a single point.