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Gators get it going just in time

A late surge forces OT and Teddy Dupay does the rest in an 81-74 win over LSU.

©Associated Press

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 14, 2001

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Florida waited until the end of regulation to get going, and Teddy Dupay took control in overtime.

Dupay scored 11 of his 17 in overtime as No. 11 Florida rallied to beat LSU 81-74 Tuesday night.

"We didn't get anything going until the end of the game," Dupay said. "Then, we finally got some momentum and I got some shots."

Udonis Haslem and Brett Nelson scored 18 each for Florida (17-5, 7-4 Southeastern Conference). Matt Bonner added 17.

Ronald Dupree led LSU (11-11, 1-10) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Collis Temple III had 14 points, Jermain Williams 12 and Torris Bright 11.

LSU took a 62-60 lead with 3.2 seconds left in regulation on two free throws by Jason Wilson.

Florida's ensuing inbounds pass sailed the length of the court to Haslem, who was fouled. He made both shots, tying it at 62 and forcing overtime.

"That cost us the game," LSU coach John Brady said. "We didn't have a big guy that could block that shot, and we didn't have an athletic guy who could block the shot."

Florida took a quick five-point lead in overtime on a three-pointer by Dupay and a steal and basket by Nelson.

LSU pulled within 75-74 on a three-pointer by Bright with 1:16 remaining. Dupay matched the three-pointer and added a free throw as the Gators sealed the victory.

Dupay, who had surgery for a herniated disc Jan. 10, had six points in regulation, but he scored all but eight of Florida's 19 points in overtime.

"We're good in close games," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "We finally got something going and Dupay really helped."

The Gators struggled against LSU's defense and trailed most of the game.

With 1:53 left in regulation, Haslem made one free throw, pulling Florida within 57-56. Haslem's second attempt bounced out and LSU's Ronald Dupree grabbed it.

A missed shot and a foul by LSU sent Major Parker to the line for the Gators. He made one free throw to tie it at 57 with 51 seconds remaining.

Bright hit a three-pointer to give the Tigers a 60-57 lead with 27 seconds left. Then Dupay hit a field goal and a free throw to tie it at 60.

"We played into their hands early in the game," Donovan said. "We really had to work hard for this one."

Florida had been averaging 83.3 points. LSU, the second-ranked scoring defense in the SEC, had limited opponents to 65.6 points.

The Tigers outscored Florida 8-5 over the first three minutes of the second half and stretched their lead to 40-30. But LSU failed to score for the next 5:47, and the Gators cut the lead to 43-41 on a three-pointer by Bonner.

Florida used a 7-5 run to tie the score at 48 with 9:09 left. The run was fueled by five points from Bonner.

Florida, battling for the SEC East title, had the lead once in regulation, 11-10 with 14:26 left in the first half. LSU led 27-19 with 5:28 left in the half.

Halftime-LSU 32, Florida 25. End of Regulation-Florida 62, LSU 62. 3-Point goals-Florida 11-25 (Nelson 4-9, Dupay 3-8, Bonner 2-3, Parker 1-2, Greene 1-2, Halton 0-1), LSU 9-26 (Temple III 4-8, Bright 2-7, Williams 1-2, Dupree 1-2, Warner 1-2, Beshara 0-5). Fouled out -- Beshara, Williams. Rebounds-Florida 28 (Parker, Haslem 6), LSU 38 (Dupree 11). Assists-Florida 16 (Dupay 5), LSU 17 (Bright 6). Total fouls-Florida 17, LSU 22. A-8,578.

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