Following their first loss against Alabama, Auburn’s offensive woes traveled south, as they lost 69-47 vs. Florida in a Saturday afternoon matchup in Gainesville.
The Tigers came out flat to start the game, as they missed their first five shot attempts and allowed the Gators to go on an early 9-0 run. At one point, Auburn was shooting well below 10 percent from the field and looked to have no sort of offensive identity as shots were rolling in and out of the basket.
Florida had plenty of turnovers in the first half, and Auburn was able to capitalize on those to tie the game up at 13. That tie was short lived, as the Gators pulled away to give themselves a five point lead at the half.
The second half saw Florida start to establish their dominance offensively, but a couple of three-pointers by Samir Doughty trimmed the Gator lead to six. That was as close as Auburn could get in the game.
What ensued was an offensive explosion from Florida, including back-breaking three pointers from Keyontae Johnson and Kerry Blackshear Jr. that ultimately increased their lead to well over 20 points.
Overall, Auburn shot 25.5 percent from the floor, including 17.4 percent from three-point range. Rebounding was also a letdown for the Tigers, as they were out-rebounded on the glass 44-29.
Danjel Purifoy led the Tigers in scoring with 10 points, and Omar Payne was perfect from the floor (9-9) to lead the Gators in scoring with 19 points.
Florida was efficient, shooting 50 percent from the floor, and those late three-point baskets increased their percentage to 47.1 from behind the arc.
Next up for the Tigers (15-2, 3-2 in SEC) is a home matchup vs. South Carolina Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
