Tigers fall short in Final Four
SAN ANTONIO | Florida clamped down on defense in the second half and just squeezed the life out of Auburn.
The Gators held the Tigers to 33 percent shooting after the break in a 79-73 win in the Final Four Saturday night at the Alamodome.
Florida was plus-10 in rebounds and forced 12 of AU’s 14 turnovers in the second half. After scoring 46 points in the first half, AU was held to 27 in the second.
Auburn used a late 16-6 run to go into halftime with a 46-38 lead. But the Gators responded with a quick 11-0 run early in the second half. The game remained close until Walter Clayton Jr. took over scoring 10 of UF’s final 12 points.
The Tigers had no answer for Clayton, who led all scorers with 34 points including 5 of 8 3-pointers.
Chad Baker-Mazara led Auburn with 18 points, Johni Broome had 15 and Denver Jones 10.
Auburn finishes the 2024-25 season 32-6, advancing to the Final Four for only the second time in program history.
