AUBURN, Ala. — Kowacie Reeves wanted no part of any moral victory talk Wednesday night. Not after his Florida Gators went toe-to-toe with the nation’s 20th-ranked team on the road, only to let a five-star opportunity in their Southeastern Conference opener against Auburn slip away in the waning seconds.
“We’re not happy about the loss,” Reeves, the sophomore wing said after the Tigers surged late and closed out a 61-58 victory for their 25th consecutive home win. “But I’m encouraged for the next one.”
Ultimately, the Tigers (11-2, 1-0) won this defensive slugfest by making the timeliest defensive play of the game. They took a one-point lead with 1:12 remaining on a driving layup from sophomore forward Johni Broome and after a couple empty possessions by both teams converged on UF forward Colin Castleton in the final seconds, forcing a turnover that turned into a run-out layup by point guard Wendell Green Jr. with less than two seconds to go that iced the win amid the bedlam of a 27th straight sell-out home crowd.
The combination of Broome, the 6-foot-10, 235-pounder from Plant City, Fla., and transfer from Morehead State who Florida pursued aggressively in the transfer portal last spring, and the diminutive but lightning-quick Green led the Tigers with 14 points each. Forward Jaylin Williams had 13. Though Auburn shot only 38.2 percent for the game, it hit 48 percent in the second and dominated the glass throughout, 40-28,…
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