April 5 (UPI) -- Walter Clayton Jr. expertly wound his dribble through a jungle of defenders, collecting 34 points while lifting Florida to a gritty comeback win over Auburn in an NCAA Final Four matchup Saturday in San Antonio.
The All-American guard scored 20 points in the second half of the 79-73 victory, helping the Gators overcome a nine-point deficit to clinch their fourth title game appearance.
"I've just got a bunch of guys around me that trust me," Clayton said on the CBS broadcast. "I say it all the time, them guys trust me to take those shots. Some nights they fall. Tonight was one of those nights."
Clayton and the Gators (35-4) will face the No. 1 Houston Cougars (35-4) in the title game Monday in San Antonio.
The Gators outshot the Tigers 47.2% to 43.9% in the first national semifinal of the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at the Alamodome. They hit 8 of 21 (38.1%) of their 3-point attempts, compared to their foes' 7 of 25 (28%) clip.
The Tigers (32-6), who were the top overall seed in the tournament, used physicality to dominate and took advantage of early Gators miscues in the first half, but struggled to keep up with the Clayton-led attack down the stretch.
"No matter what the score is, we always feel like we've got a chance to win," Gators coach Todd Golden said. "Obviously, I thought Auburn played great, especially in the first half.
"They had us on our heels, but we came out in the second half, got off to a great start, and we didn't look back. Our ...
