Keyontae Johnson had the shot. Down by three and seconds left on the clock, the Florida sophomore hesitated to pull the trigger on the three to tie the game, instead he opted for the extra pass, however, it was intercepted by Alterique Gilbert, thus handing UConn the win.
That flinch, that hesitation summed up Florida's game. Honestly, it summed up Florida's season so far.
The No. 15 Gators (2-2) shot just 31 percent from the floor in the first half against the Huskies (2-1) and fell 62-59 because of it.
It is simple Florida did not start with the energy necessary. They fell behind and then just could not brush off a first half that had them only score 20 points.
With 7:03 left to go in the game, the Huskies were ahead by a game high of eight points.
In the second half the Gators improved offensively, shooting 48 percent from the floor in the second period, going 4-of-9 from three-point range compared to 1-of-11 in the first half.
UF only committed two turnovers in the second half, however, lose the overall turnover battle 13-9 with the Huskies taking advantage, outscoring Florida 13-2. Andrew Nembhard, who had zero points and two assists in the first half, finished with 14 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
Twice the Gators had the ball within a possession, but could never dig themselves out of that first half hole.
Kerry Blackshear was the only other Gator to finish in double digits. He led the team with 15 points and eight rebounds, but was forced to sit out when he was fouled out with 4:36 left in the game.
Meanwhile, UConn had four players finish in double-digit in its win. Tyler Polley and Vital Christian led the way with 15 points, while Josh Carlton and Alterique Gilbert finished with 13 and 10 points respectively.
The Gators held the Huskies to 36 percent shooting on the afternoon, but was out rebounded 38-37, with UConn nabbing 12 offensive rebounds to Florida's 8.
After starting the season ranked No. 6 in the AP Preseason polls, Florida saw itself fall to No. 15. This week the Gators had to fight for a win against Towson and then on Sunday lost on the road to UConn.
It is time to look inside the locker room to find that leader, to find that identity.
The Gators will need to play with a new sense of urgency this week. The team will hit the road for the Charleston Classic on Thursday, when they tip off the tournament against Saint Joseph's.
