The Florida Gators trailed by 10 early on and by multiple possessions at multiple junctures in the second half, only to rally back to lead the lowly South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday.
But Frank Martin’s squad had one more run in them than the Gators did — and used it late to consign Florida to a frustrating 72-66 defeat.
A.J. Lawson’s 22 points led all scorers, but South Carolina’s punishment of poor boxouts on Florida’s part — mostly done without Lawson factoring in — helped the Gamecocks close on a 13-1 run that erased a six-point Florida lead in the late moments and give them just their third SEC win on the season.