Phlandrous Fleming Jr.’s 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds to play Tuesday night boosted Florida to an 82-78 wild rally over Vanderbilt in Southeastern Conference action in Nashville, Tenn.
The Gators (19-11, 9-8 SEC) nearly erased a five-point lead inside the final minute by drawing to 78-77 on two free throws by Colin Castleton and a layup by Tuongthach Gatkek with 21 seconds to play.
Then, Vanderbilt threw away the inbounds pass. Tyree Appleby worked the ball to the left corner for Fleming’s wide-open game-winner.
Scotty Pippen Jr., who scored a game-high 29 points, was fouled with two seconds left and missed the front end of a one-and-one with his club down 80-78. Castleton’s two freebies iced the important win.
Trailing by four at halftime, the Commodores (14-15, 6-11) used a 15-0 run to grab a 63-54 lead and appeared to be in full control with 10:10 remaining but were outscored 9-0 in the game’s final 44 seconds in the defeat.
Castleton finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Fleming produced 16 points, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Myreon Jones scored 13 points and Appleby added 12.
Florida won for the ninth straight time over Vanderbilt and holds a 73-71 all-time series lead.
Trey Thomas notched 17 points and made 5 of 7 3-pointers for Vanderbilt, which sank a season-high 15 on 29 tries (51.7 percent).
The three-ball was a crucial part of the teams’ second matchup, with Florida connecting on 10 of 21 (47.6 percent).
With its NCAA Tournament hopes riding on a strong run to end the regular season, Florida started by playing like a team desperate to make a statement.
The club opened on fire from deep, draining three of its first four attempts inside of five minutes of play and building a 13-5 advantage.
The Commodores cut the deficit to two points and had a chance to tie, but an alternating possession call and Fleming’s mid-range jumper before the halftime horn gave the Gators a 39-35 lead.
The squads sizzled in the first half, combined to shoot 14 of 28 from deep in the first half, with Vanderbilt drilling eight.
–Field Level Media