With a little more than a minute remaining, Chris Chiozza dribbled to his right, spun into the paint and passed out to Dorian Finney-Smith.
With no one near him, the redshirt senior forward stared down the basket and swished a three pointer, giving the Gators an eight-point lead.
The late surge proved to be enough for Florida, as the Gators (3-0) defeated Saint Joseph’s (3-1) 74-63 in their first game of the Mohegan Sun Tip-off Tournament on Saturday in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Florida will face No. 21 Purdue in the tournament final on Sunday.
After tying the game at 62 late in the second half, Florida went on a 14-2 run to seal the victory.