Aggie men’s hoops traveled to Gainesville on Saturday to take on No. 17 Florida Gators and came up short 71-62. The Aggies now fall to 13-11 and 5-7 in SEC play, as the Gators improve to 20-5 and 10-2 in the SEC. The Gators had won their last five games by double digits, averaging a 28.0 point differential in that span.
Florida led by as much as 11 in the first half but took a two point lead into halftime. The key moment for Florida came when the Gators were down four in the second half, 40-36. Florida then proceeded to go on a 12-2 run to regain the lead from the Aggies and A&M could never comeback. The Aggies had a tough time with Florida’s second-ranked defense in the SEC, as they turned the ball over 20 times.
Freshman Robert Williams, sophomore Tyler Davis and sophomore Admon Gilder led the Aggies today as they attempted to upset the Gators. Williams continued his electric play as he notched a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while also blocking 4 shots. Davis had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Gilder had 12 points and five steals. 
Florida was led by senior forward Justin Leon, junior center John Egbunu and senior guard Canyon Barry. Leon scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed 5 boards, while Egbunu had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Barry had 12 points and went 4-4 from the free throw line where he set a new Florida record for most consecutive free throws made with 38. The son of basketball great Rick Barry imitates his dad in that he shoots free throws granny style instead of a normal overhead shot.
The Aggies will be back in action on Thursday, February 16 as they travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be shown on ESPN2.