(1) Florida Holds Off (16) Albany - East Idaho News
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(1) Florida Holds Off (16) Albany

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Getty Gators Win?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1395380017363Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images(ORLANDO, Fla.) — Top-seeded Florida had work hard for its win over 16th-seeded Albany.

With 14:05 left in the game, the Gators and Great Danes were tied at 39, but Florida went on a 12-2 run and finished strong to hold off Albany 67-55 Thursday, to advance to the third round of the NCAA tournament.

Freshman guard Kasey Hill scored ten points off the bench — all in the second half — making sure Florida (33-2) won its 27th straight game.

Florida will now face No. 9 Pittsburgh, who beat No. 8 Colorado 77-48 in its first round matchup, in the Round of 32.

“It was good enough to win, but is it good enough to play against a team like Pittsburgh? Probably not,” Florida head coach Billy Donovan said. “But I’m proud of our guys because they found a way to win when they didn’t play their best. And you know what? They’ve always been really good at being able to learn valuable lessons in a lot of ways. So hopefully they’ll be able to come back and correct that and do a little bit better.”

Casey Prather and Dorian Finney-Smith led Florida with 16 points apiece.
                                                         
DJ Evans scored 21 points for Albany (19-15) in the loss.

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