National Basketball Association
Florida 81, Georgia 75
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Where: Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena, Gainesville, Florida
Officials:
# Doug Shows, # Lee Cassell, # Don Daily
Attendance:
9889
By Field Level Media
Andrew Nembhard matched his career high with 25 points and Florida overcame a 22-point second-half deficit to earn an 81-75 home victory against SEC rival Georgia on Wednesday night at Gainesville, Fla.
Freshman Anthony Edwards, one of the country's top recruits, scored 32 points to lead the Bulldogs (12-10, 2-7), who suffered their fifth loss in six games.
Florida outscored Georgia 39-7 between the 16:30 and 5:56 marks of the second half to turn a 22-point deficit into a 10-point lead.
Keyontae Johnson scored 15 points and Kerry Blackshear Jr. added 12 points and six rebounds for the Gators (14-8, 6-3 SEC), who won a second straight game after three consecutive losses.
Nembhard scored seven points in the final 59 seconds to help secure the victory.
Florida shot 60 percent (18 of 30) and hit 7 of 11 from 3-point territory in the second half.
With Florida trailing by 17 points, Johnson scored eight points in a 9-0 spurt -- part of a 17-3 run -- that pulled the Gators within 55-47 with 12:24 to go.
After Georgia's Christian Brown sank two free throws, Florida went on a 14-0 run to go ahead 61-57 with 8:11 left.
After Nembhard hit a jumper with 5:56 remaining, the Gators led 69-59 -- but the Bulldogs were not done. Georgia scored seven straight points to get within three at 69-66 with 4:14 to play.
It was the second notable comeback at home this season for the Gators, who defeated Alabama in double overtime after trailing by 21 points late in the first half on Jan. 4.
Edwards, averaging a team-high 19.9 points through 22 games, scored 18 points to help Georgia build a 41-26 halftime lead. The Bulldogs pushed the ball, outscoring Florida on the fast break 16-0.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Edwards scored five points and fellow freshman Sahvir Wheeler (16 points) had four in the Bulldogs' 10-0 run during the final 3:10. The Gators failed to score in the last 4:07 of the first half.
Edwards (7 of 9) and Wheeler (4 of 4) were a combined 11 of 13 as the Bulldogs shot 54.8 percent (17 of 31) in the half. Edwards sank 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Florida shot 35.5 percent (11 of 31) overall and just 2 of 12 from long distance during the first 20 minutes.
Edwards nailed three 3-pointers to fuel a 13-0 run that gave Georgia a 17-10 advantage with 11:49 remaining in the first half.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Georgia |
|
Florida |
|
Anthony Edwards 32 |
Scoring |
Andrew Nembhard 25 |
|
Sahvir Wheeler 4 |
Assists |
Andrew Nembhard 3 |
|
Anthony Edwards 6 |
Rebounds |
Scottie Lewis 9 |
|
Anthony Edwards 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Kerry Blackshear Jr. 5 |
|
Anthony Edwards 3 |
Steals |
Andrew Nembhard 2 |
|
Anthony Edwards 2 |
Blocks |
Scottie Lewis 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Georgia
|
75 |
47.3 |
10-24 |
13-18 |
7 |
27 |
3 |
8 |
12 |
| Florida
|
81 |
47.5 |
9-23 |
14-18 |
8 |
32 |
1 |
5 |
11 |
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