Walter Clayton Jr. leads Florida’s rally to Sweet 16

RALEIGH, N.C. — Florida’s Sweet 16 dream continued as UConn’s NCAA Tournament dominance came to an abrupt end.

The two-time defending national champions didn’t go quietly. But after controlling much of the game, the Huskies ultimately could not contain guard Walter Clayton Jr. during the Gators’ 77-75 come-from-behind win Sunday.

Clayton, who finished with a game-high 23 points, showed why he was an AP first-team All-American with two 3-pointers during the final three minutes to end UConn’s 13-game winning streak in the Big Dance.

“Super clutch, man,” shooting guard Alijah Martin said. “That’s Walter Clayton Jr. for you right there. He put us on his back — just so proud of him. I see the work he put in every day.

“It’s amazing to watch.”

Florida (32-4) is now headed to San Francisco for the West Regional to face the winner between Maryland-Colorado State during the Gators’ first appearance in the round of 16 since 2017.

A Clayton 3 with 2:54 to go gave the Gators their first lead of the half. A UConn turnover that led to a dunk by Will Richard on the next possession sent a pro-Gators crowd into a frenzy at Lenovo Center. UConn coach Dan Hurley called a timeout shortly after.

Huskies guard Solo Ball then answered with a 3 for a 64-64 tie.

UF inched ahead with three free throws, the final two by Clayton. His 3-pointer over 6-foot-8 Alex Karaban with 1:07 to go followed by a dunk by Alijah Martin pushed UF’s advantage to 72-64 with 40 seconds to go, enough of a cushion to hold off a Huskies push to the final buzzer.

The Huskies showed their championship pedigree against the hottest team in college basketball and the tournament favorite by the estimation of many observers. UConn controlled the tempo and took the fight to Florida.

The Gators, the No. 1 seed in the West, didn’t wilt, but also weren’t themselves Sunday.

UConn quickly turned a 31-31 tie at halftime into six-point lead, at 38-32, the largest advantage of the game and did just enough to stay ahead of the Gators. UF pulled within a point, at 52-51, on a Clayton 3-pointer, and UConn continued to answer. At one point, the Huskies hit six straight free throws after a Richard 3 made it 55-54.

Clayton put an end to UConn’s NCAA Tournament run after a so-so season in Storrs, Conn., but the No. 8 seed Huskies were up to the challenge from the opening tip.

Martin, an FAU transfer and key to the Owls’ 2023 Final Four run, was Florida’s only player ready for the moment. The veteran shooting guard scored 11 of UF’s first 15 points.

Clayton, who had two quick turnovers, found his rhythm late with two 3s before halftime. Otherwise, UF didn’t involve Alex Condon, who failed to score or post an assist, while Richard failed to hit a field goal and had three of his team’s eight first-half turnovers.

UConn struggled offensively itself, especially from long range. But a long 3-pointer by Diarra Hassan over Martin to beat the shot clock tied the game 31-31 at halftime, which tied for the fewest points by Florida since a 79-65 win Feb. 22 at LSU when the Gators came alive after intermission.

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