Caleb Grill racked up 22 points off the bench and sank a pair of clutch free throws with five seconds remaining as Missouri upset No. 5 Florida 83-82 on Tuesday night in Gainesville, Fla.
Grill’s key foul shots came just one second after Alex Condon converted a layup to get the Gators (15-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) within 81-79. Alijah Martin followed with a 3-pointer, but Florida didn’t have enough time to complete a comeback.
The Gators never led in the second half, as they were never able to overcome a 50-34 halftime deficit.
Mark Mitchell complemented Grill with 15 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers (14-3, 3-1), while Anthony Robinson II added 12 points and Tamar Bates chipped in 10.
Missouri went 11-for-29 from beyond the arc (37.9 percent), with six of those made triples coming from Grill (on 10 attempts).
Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 28 points and nabbed three steals, Martin tallied 14 points and Will Richard added 12 points. Rueben Chinyelu had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Gators, who were 8-0 at home entering Tuesday.
The Tigers raced out to a 24-14 advantage, taking the 10-point lead when Grill connected on a triple with 12:10 to go in the first half.
A 3-pointer and jumper from Robinson later had Missouri up by 19, 42-23, with 7:22 left in the first half. Florida then put together an 11-2 rally, though, getting within 44-34 on two foul shots from Clayton.
However, the Tigers scored the final six points of the opening half for the 16-point cushion at the break.
The game turned chippy when Missouri’s Tony Perkins was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul on Martin with 8:58 left in the game. Moments later, an official review led to a hook-and-hold flagrant 1 foul on Grill. Thomas Haugh hit the two ensuing free throws, and Chinyelu’s short hook shot pulled Florida closer at 65-62 with 7:56 left.
–Field Level Media