Florida 62, Ole Miss 57: Gators quiet Rebels after halftime for overtime win

Ole Miss took a 30-21 lead into halftime against the Florida Gators on Saturday, using the same mixture of reactive zone defense to coax misses from the Gators’ spotty shooters and strong shot-making that worked in their 70-54 win last Monday in Oxford to put Florida back on its heels again — even with Colin Castleton’s sneakers once again touching the court for the Gators.

But when Florida ratcheted up its defensive intensity, made shots, and went just about the entire second half without giving any Rebel a reason to yell, the Gators finally turned the tables — and their defense and resilience were just about enough to grind out a 62-57 overtime victory.

Castleton, who had 17 points, seven…