The defending national champions nearly blew a nine-point lead in the final six minutes before making enough plays down the stretch to extend their series winning streak to five.
Advertisement
Fland made two free throws with 15.8 seconds left to put Florida (2-1) up 76-73, and Robert McCray V missed a 3-point attempt at the other end. Alex Condon, who committed three turnovers that allowed the Seminoles (2-1) to rally late, seemingly closed out the game with two free throws with five seconds left.
But it wasn’t over until Chauncey Wiggins’ 80-foot shot fell short. Wiggins had a chance because Haugh missed two free throws.
McCray scored nine straight points for Florida State down the stretch, but missed the second of two free throws with 17 seconds left. He finished with 29 points. Wiggins added 11 and Kobe MaGee had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Florida dominated the boards and finished with a 58-36 rebounding advantage.
Advertisement
Rueben Chinyelu had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Gators. Condon added 11 points, six rebounds and six turnovers.
The Gators trailed 40-35 early in the second half and appeared to be in trouble as they were unable to make any long-range shots. They missed 18 of 21 3-point shots before Fland heated up.
Fland hit two 3-pointers in a two-minute span, the first being his first of the season and the second bouncing off the side of the rim and the backboard before going through the net.
Next
Florida State hosts UT Martin on Tuesday night.
Florida plays Miami in nearby Jacksonville on Sunday.
___
Receive poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season long. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball