SAN ANTONIO — Auburn’s season came to an end Saturday night with a 79-73 loss to Florida in the Final Four, falling just short of a shot at the national championship.
The Tigers took a 46-38 lead into halftime but couldn’t hold off a second-half surge from the Gators.
Florida guard Walton Clayton Jr. stole the spotlight, scoring 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Auburn held Clayton to 14 points and two 3-pointers in the first half, but he erupted in the second, pouring in 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting with two more makes from deep.
“Well, he's a great player. He can go both ways. He can make tough shots,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said of Clayton. “Clayton was the difference. He was just flat out the difference. We couldn't contain him down that end.”
Florida outscored Auburn 41-27 in the second half. Clayton accounted for 20 of the Gators’ second half points.
Auburn turned in a strong first-half performance, shooting 51.5% from the field with 17 made baskets. Johni Broome led the way with 12 points, while Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly added eight each. The Tigers held Florida to 44.4% shooting and edged the Gators 17-16 on the glass.
The momentum shifted after halftime. Florida shot 50% in the second half and limited Auburn to just 33.3%. The Gators also dominated the boards, 23-13, and took advantage of Auburn’s mistakes. After committing just two turnovers in the first half, the Tigers gave the ball away 12 times in the second.
“We just did not execute offensively in the second half. We just didn't,” Pearl said. “I give Florida credit for the defense. But there were certain things, certain reads, certain looks that we made in the first half, and chose to not make them in the second half.”
Florida’s second half takeover started with an 11-0 run at the 18:24 mark to give the Gators a two-point lead over Auburn. Broome tied things back up, and two free throws from Denver Jones and a jumper from Chaney Johnson gave the Tigers a 6-0 and 55-51 lead with 12:11 to play.
Clayton answered with a 3-pointer on the other end to cut Auburn’s lead to one, but Dylan Cardwell responded with a dunk to push the Tigers’ advantage to 57-54 with 11:25 remaining.
No. 44 Dylan Cardwell makes a dunk against the Florida Gators inside of the Alamodome at the Final Four on April 5, 2025.
It remained a back-and-forth battle until Clayton gave Florida the lead with a layup at the 1:33 mark. The Gators followed with a 5-0 run to extend their advantage to 76-68 with 37 seconds remaining. Baker-Mazara answered with a 3-pointer — Auburn’s final basket of the season — before Florida sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Despite a second half coming apart from Auburn, the game featured 15 lead changes and was tied 10 times. Auburn led for 24:37 while Florida led for just 11:45.
Baker-Mazara led Auburn with 18 points, following 15 from Broome and 10 from Jones.
“I'm really proud of my team, how these guys made history, the best basketball team in the history of Auburn basketball. They gave us a ride that won't ever be forgotten. They did so many great things both on and off the court that I'm extremely proud of,” Pearl said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
