No. 19 Alabama gave a good battle, but fell to upset-minded Florida 63-61 in a second round SEC Tournament battle. The Tide (23-8) will certainly be in the NCAA Tournament, but the loss likely hurts Alabama's battle for a top four seed and a regional hosting spot. Meanwhile, Florida (16-16) is still facing long odds of the NCAA Tournament, but will survive to battle LSU tomorrow.
Alabama vs. Florida Player Stats and Box Score
Alabama
Florida
Alabama Vs. Florida Game Summary
Florida jumped to a 13-8 lead only to see Alabama finish the first quarter with a run to claim a 14-13 advantage. Florida responded with a second-quarter rally to claim a 28-17 lead with 3:28 left in the first half. Alabama awakened from its offensive slumber to pull within 30-26 at intermission.
Florida stretched the advantage to as many as six points in the third quarter, but finished with a 47-43 edge heading into the final quarter. Florida extended the lead as far as eight points at 61-53 with 49 seconds remaining. Alabama pulled within two points and got a pair of attempts to tie or win, but Florida held on for the victory.
Florida was led by Liv McGill, with a career-high 29 points, including three 3-pointers. Ra Shaya Kyle added 12 points for the triumphant Gators and Laila Reynolds tallied 10 points.
Alabama's top scorer was Sarah Ashlee Barker, who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. Barker made three 3-pointers. Aaliyah Nye added 13 points and Zaay Green chipped in 11 more for the Tide.
Florida will now face No. 9 LSU on Friday night. Alabama will await its NCAA Tournament seeding.
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