GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Keyontae Johnson, Andrew Nembhard and Tre Mann carried Florida to one of its biggest comebacks in school history, helping the Gators overcome a 22-point deficit and stun rival Georgia 81-75 on Wednesday night.
The Gators trailed 52-30 early in the second half before putting together a 34-5 run that will go down in team lore.
Florida (14-8, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) came alive during a 23-2 spurt fueled by Johnson and Mann. Johnson scored 11 during that stretch, and Mann added eight. They drained 3-pointers, hit shots driving to the basket and made Georgia (12-10, 2-7) look ordinary for the first time all night.
The Gators pulled ahead 69-59 with about six minutes to play, a staggering turnaround in a game that looked decided by halftime. Georgia got back in it, though, whittling the lead to 73-71 with 2:55 to play.
Nembhard delivered the knockout blows, a driving layup that put the Gators up four with 58 seconds remaining and later added a steal and layup. Nembhard tied his career high with 25 points on 10 of 16 shooting, including scoring 14 of the team’s final 17 points. Johnson ended with 15, while Mann had 11.
Kerry Blackshear Jr. chipped in 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out in the waning seconds.
Freshman sensation Anthony Edwards scored 32 points in another dominant performance for Georgia, but he was silent during Florida’s huge run.
Georgia shot 55% in the first half and looked like it would coast after taking a 15-point lead into the locker room. Florida coach Mike White benched three starters at the first media timeout of the second half, a move that seemed to spark the rally.
No one should have been too surprised since the Gators pulled off something similar last month. They trailed Alabama by 21 in Gainesville in early January before mounting a comeback.
This one matched the largest in school history. Florida also trailed by 22 against South Carolina in 1993.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia: The schedule should ease up a little for the Bulldogs, who opened SEC play by playing Kentucky (twice), Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State. But this one will sting for a while – at least until Florida plays at Georgia in early March.
Florida: The Gators didn’t squander a big lead for the first time in weeks. They blew eight-point leads against LSU and Baylor and a 16-point advantage against Mississippi State. They led by 18 at Vanderbilt on Saturday before the Commodores whittled it to five in the final minute.
UP NEXT
Georgia: Hosts Alabama on Saturday. The Bulldogs have won five of the last seven meetings.
Florida: Plays at Ole Miss on Saturday. Gators coach Mike White played collegiately for the Rebels and is 4-1 against his alma mater, including a 71-55 victory last month.
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