Auburn (7-11, 0-4) pushed Florida (14-4, 3-1 SEC) to its limit, holding the Gators to just 28.3 percent field goal shooting, but it proved to be not enough as the Tigers lost 45-40 in the Auburn Arena.
"I was proud of the way the guys fought," said Auburn head coach Tony Barbee. "We played how we have to play to survive because of our limited offensive team. We have to guard our tails off and we did that tonight."
Junior forward Kenny Gabriel shot 6-11, but the offensive struggles remain for the Tigers, who shot 37.5 percent from the field and went 1-8 from the foul line.
Sophomore guard Earnest Ross shot 4-6 from the field and 3-4 from behind the arch.
"We're just not putting the ball in the net," Gabriel said "A part of that is us not making free throws. We were 1-for-8 from the free throw line. If we make in seven out of eight of those, we would have won the game. We also just don't finish plays or layups, and we're not making free throws."
The Tigers built up a 24-18 lead after a three-pointer from Ross with 6:51, but failed to score the rest of the half.
Gabriel had a layup and a dunk late in the game, giving the Tigers a 40-37 lead before Florida junior guard Chandler Parsons tied the game at 40 with 1:14 left in the game.
Auburn sophomore forward Ty Armstrong saw eight minutes of playing time, shooting 1-2 with three rebounds. Armstrong averaged 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds while shooting 52.2 percent from the field in the 2009-2010 season as a freshman.
"He was healthy," Barbee said. "He was ready to go. He was cleared by the doctors. He has looked really good in practice. He wanted to play, and he begged me to play. I was comfortable with the way he has performed in practice. He played well tonight. He gives us another presence alongside (Rob) Chubb inside."
Auburn returns to action Saturday as it looks for its first conference win as they face rival Alabama. Tip-off will be 5 p.m. with the Foy FDK Trophy presentation at half-time.
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