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Mental Errors Cost Gators

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By JENNA MARINA, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 17, 2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Florida's locker room door remained closed in the corridor underneath Memorial Coliseum, but Gators coach Billy Donovan's raspy voice could still be heard booming.

Though Donovan was proud of his team's improved defensive effort, the Gators' dismal shooting and poor judgment kept them from winning.

No. 24 Vanderbilt (22-4, 7-4 SEC) improved to 16-0 at home this season with Saturday afternoon's 61-58 victory.

The Gators (19-7, 6-5) did not shoot particularly well at 39 percent from the field, which included a 1-for-15 performance from 3-point range, and two late mental errors cost them.

Florida has dropped four of its last five games, something that hasn't happened since the 2003-04 season.

Saturday's game ping-ponged between the teams until Vanderbilt's Shan Foster sank consecutive treys and Andre Walker chipped in another to put the Commodores up by 12 with 7:17 left in the game.

The Gators clawed their way back as they scored 10 points and held Vanderbilt scoreless during the next 4:51 to pull within 52-50.
Nick Calathes tied it at 53 with a chance to convert a 3-point play, but junior Walter Hodge received a technical foul for chest-bumping into A.J. Ogilvy under the basket with two minutes left.

"I'm disappointed in Walter Hodge for reacting," Donovan said. "There was a bang-bang play, and I don't know if it should or shouldn't have been called, but ... our guys should have just gone and moved away from the play."

Vanderbilt won some of the momentum back, but the Gators stayed close and trailed by one with 24 seconds left.

The Gators shot themselves in the foot again when Jai Lucas passed to fellow freshman Calathes near the half-court line, which resulted in a backcourt violation and gave Vanderbilt the ball back with 18 seconds left.

"Someone in the locker room asked me what happened with the backcourt violation, and I was just like 'freshmen,'" Vanderbilt senior guard Alex Gordon said. "They were freshmen and everybody has experienced it. I've done some things like that my freshman year."

But Donovan did not feel that age and experience were valid excuses for the gaffe.

"Seniors or not, you play basketball your whole life," he said, "and I'd hope we know where halfcourt is."

Despite their recent struggles, Florida's players have not lost total hope about their drive to win.

"We learned what we were capable of," forward Dan Werner said. "We competed today. ... We were right there towards the end. We had a chance."

INSIDE THE GAME

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Vanderbilt's Alex Gordon sank four of four from the free-throw line in the last 24 seconds to cap a 12-point performance.

STAT OF THE GAME: Florida shot 6.7 percent from the 3-point line. The Gators failed to connect on seven attempts in the first half and wound up shooting 1-for-15 from behind the arc.

TURNING POINT: With the score tied at 53, Walter Hodge received a technical foul for bumping into A.J. Ogilvy and let the Commodores steal their momentum back.

UP NEXT: Florida hosts South Carolina at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

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