(Reuters) -Florida came back from a 12-point second-half deficit to beat Houston 65-63 in a nail-biting thriller, claiming their third national championship in NCAA men’s basketball on Monday.
Senior Will Richard led the scoring for the Gators with 18 points in Florida’s first trip to the title game since they last won in 2007, while Australian forward Alex Condon came up with the game-clinching loose ball.
Houston appeared well on their way to their first-ever title as their smothering defense neutralized Florida’s best weapon Walter Clayton Jr. through the first half but they could not hang on against an energized Gators offense.
“We did what we did all year – we stayed the course,” said head coach Todd Golden, 39, the youngest head coach to win the NCAA title since 1983. “Like we did all year, we made plays when we needed it the most.”
Florida appeared off-kilter at the start with a flurry of early turnovers while sharpshooter Clayton went scoreless through the first half.
The Houston fans inside San Antonio’s Alamodome went wild as guard L.J. Cryer hit a three from deep to kick off a 8-0 run for the Cougars in the last six minutes of the half, and they went into the locker room with a three-point lead.
Houston amassed a 12-point head start within the first five minutes of the second half with a pair of three pointers from Cryer, but the Florida offense quickly fought back, leveling it with less than eight minutes left on the clock.
Guard Alijah Martin gave the Gators the lead with a pair of free throws with 46 seconds left before Houston turned the ball over in the chaotic final moments of the game.
“It’s a feeling I can’t even explain,” said the Gators’ Clayton, who finished the night with 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Jamie Freed, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Christian Schmollinger)
