GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- It was a must win game for the Gators, and Florida dug deep to secure a 90-86 win over Ole Miss in overtime on Wednesday night.

It almost was deja vu for Mike White's men.

Freshman Keyontae Johnson had a chance to extend Florida's lead to three with 1:37 to go in regulation, however, he missed a pair of free throws. Ole Miss took advantage and came back to take the 76-73 lead.

UF was then in a position it had put themselves in several previous games this season. The Gators were down by three with 8.8 seconds left on the clock. But this time the Gators were not going to let history repeat itself.

KeVaughn Allen dribbled down the floor and nailed a triple to tie the game up with 2.5 seconds left, sending the game into overtime.

This time Florida did not ease up.

Noah Locke started things up with a triple and Florida held the lead from there. Both Allen and Kevarrius Hayes came up big down the stretch, with Allen diving for a loose ball and Hayes making an offensive rebound with 30 seconds left on the clock.

This was a game filled with adversity for Florida, making this an even bigger win for the home side.

Hayes picked up his third foul within the first four minutes in the second half, forcing the senior center to sit out for a long period of time. The Gators were also without Dontay Bassett and Johnson for a few minutes - Bassett was hurt and had to go to the locker room, while Johnson had to sit out for a few minutes due to what appeared to be a knee injury.The freshman would also be fouled out during overtime.

Johnson's presence was certainly missed, especially in that second half. The freshman had his best outing in a Gator uniform on Wednesday. He scored a career-high of 15 points and provided a good energy to the team.

When Johnson sat out, Ole Miss was able to mount a comeback - putting together a 13-1 run after making nine of their first 11 shots of the second half.

Allen and Locke also provided a significant boost for Florida in this match up. The duo combined for 43 points, 21 and 22 points respectively, while Andrew Nembhard added 12 points and a team high of six assists.

The Gators have now won three straight conference games to move into a tie for fifth place in the SEC standings, alongside both Mississippi and Alabama.

Florida does not have time to think too much about the win. UF is set to host No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday. The game is set to tip of at 4 p.m.