GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A furious comeback in the final two minutes positioned No. 2 Auburn for a chance at a buzzer-beating victory but the Tigers were unable to attempt a shot, losing at Florida 63-62 Saturday at O'Connell Center.
"Our kids competed. We didn't execute very well and Florida made some really tough shots at the end," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Our guys showed a lot of character putting themselves in position to win late. We just didn't finish."
The Tigers outscored the Gators 7-1 in the final 90 seconds on three free throws by Jabari Smith, K.D. Johnson's steal and layup, and a pair of Johnson free throws with 23 seconds to play.
Auburn then forced a turnover off Florida's inbounds pass, giving the Tigers possession with 7.5 seconds to play, trailing by one. Wendel Green Jr. looked for Walker Kessler on a pick-and-roll, but the Gators deflected the pass as time expired.
"Wendell in the middle of the floor, Walker rolling to the rim, shooters spread out," Pearl said of the play's design.
"They covered it pretty well," Smith said. "It just didn't work out."
Smith led Auburn with 28 points and seven rebounds, hitting 4 of 5 3-pointers and going 10-for-11 from the free-throw line.
"It shows how composed we are," Smith said of Auburn's late comeback that gave the Tigers a chance to win in Gainesville for the first time since 1996. "It came down to the last shot and it didn't go how we planned. I feel like this will help us later on in the season with close games and being able to battle back, take care of the ball, stay composed and stick together."
Johnson scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds while Kessler added 11 points and three rebounds. Green led the Tigers with five assists.
Smith gave Auburn its first lead early in the second half by drawing a foul on a layup and making the free throw. After Zep Jasper's steal, Smith hit a 3-pointer in transition, then hit a pair of free throws to cap a 10-0 run that put the Tigers ahead 31-24 at the 16:54 mark.
Johnson's free throws extended Auburn's lead to nine at 35-26 but the Gators answered with back-to-back 3-pointers before taking the lead for good with another 3 with 7:36 to play.
Florida's Tyree Appleby scored 26 points and made his last five shots, including a 3-pointer with 2:16 to play to give the Gators a 61-53 lead.
Auburn ended the first half on a 7-0 run to trail 22-21 after falling behind by eight. Smith hit a 3-pointer out of the last media timeout. Johnson drove and dished to Kessler for a dunk, then Johnson scored on a drive to pull the Tigers within a point.
Auburn committed nine turnovers in the half to Florida's five, but the Tigers still managed to take a 6-0 advantage in points off turnovers. The Tigers finished with 17 turnovers.
The Tigers outrebounded the Gators 22-16 in the half and 38-27 for the game. Smith led the Tigers in the half with eight points and four rebounds while Kessler added seven first-half points.
Auburn did not attempt a free throw in the first half while the Gators were 5 of 6 from the line.
"Give Florida all the credit for us not playing well," Pearl said. "Florida forced us into not playing well. We're best when everybody contributes and that wasn't the case tonight."
The Tigers return to Auburn Arena Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network, looking to sweep the season series vs. Ole Miss.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer