No. 10 seed Florida finishes strong to upset Nevada 70-61
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) —Florida nearly squandered a double-digit lead before finally stopping a Nevada comeback and pulling off a 70-61 upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kevarrius Hayes scored 16 points, Jalen Hudson added 15 and the 10th-seeded Gators won their tournament opener for the third straight year.
Andrew Nembhard, whose last-second shot beat LSU in the Southeastern Conference Tournament last week, drove to the basket for a layup with 1 ½ minutes left and Florida scored the last seven points after the seventh-seeded Wolf Pack had rallied from down 18 to cut the deficit to just two points.
The Gators (20-15) were the third double-digit seed to win on Thursday.
Cody Martin scored 23 points and twin brother Caleb Martin had 19 for the Wolf Pack (29-5). The two combined for 28 of their team's 33 points in the second half of the West Region matchup.
The Gators controlled the pace with their deliberate offense, often letting the shot clock run into single digits before shooting. The SEC's top-rated defense clogged passing and driving lanes and contested almost every shot.
KeVaughn Allen made back-to-back shots to start a 12-0 run early in the second half that swelled the lead to 51-33 with 14 minutes left.
That's when things started to turn.
The Wolf Pack began to bother Florida with their full-court press. After Caleb Martin stole the ball from Jalen Hudson in the backcourt and dunked, it was 58-51 with 6 minutes to play. Caleb Martin's two free throws made it 63-61 with 2:02 left, but Nevada could get no closer.
BIG PICTURE
Florida: The Gators can count on Nembhard in the postseason. He had only eight points against Nevada, but he came up big when needed and stemmed the Wolf Pack's comeback with a dazzling drive to the basket against Jazz Johnson.
Nevada: The Wolf Pack made a run to the Sweet 16 last year after overcoming deficits of 14 points to beat Texas in overtime and 22 to beat Cincinnati. They couldn't finish their comeback against Florida and finish the year with a program record-tying 29 wins.
UP NEXT
Florida: The Gators play No. 2 seed Michigan or No. 15 Montana on Saturday.
Nevada: The Wolf Pack go into next season off a two-year stretch of 58 wins, the best in school history.
