April 5 (UPI) — Walter Clayton Jr. expertly wound his dribble through a jungle of defenders, collecting 34 points while lifting Florida to a gritty comeback win over Auburn in an NCAA Final Four matchup Saturday in San Antonio.
The All-American guard scored 20 points in the second half of the 79-73 victory, helping the Gators overcome a nine-point deficit to clinch their fourth title game appearance.
“I’ve just got a bunch of guys around me that trust me,” Clayton said on the CBS broadcast. “I say it all the time, them guys trust me to take those shots. Some nights they fall. Tonight was one of those nights.”
Clayton and the Gators (35-4) will face the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (35-3) or No. 1 Houston Cougars (34-4) in the title game Monday in San Antonio.
The Gators outshot the Tigers 47.2% to 43.9% in the first national semifinal of the 2025 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament at the Alamodome. They hit 8 of 21 (38.1%) of their 3-point attempts, compared to their foes’ 7 of 25 (28%) clip.
The Tigers (32-6), who were the top overall seed in the tournament, used physicality to dominate and took advantage of early Gators miscues in the first half, but struggled to keep up with the Clayton-led attack down the stretch.
“No matter what the score is, we always feel like we’ve got a chance to win,” Gators coach Todd Golden said. “Obviously, I thought Auburn played great, especially in the first half.
“They had us on our heels, but we came out in the second half, got off to a great start, and we didn’t look back. Our guys were really, really tough tonight.”
The Tigers and Gators exchanged the lead seven times through the first 10 minutes. The Tigers then used a 7-2 run to take control. They later added a 16-6 surge for a 38-29 lead and carried a 46-38 advantage into the break.
Tigers All-American forward Johni Broome scored a dozen in the first half. Clayton netted 14 over the first 20 minutes. The Tigers held a 26-14 edge in points in the paint in the first half, while the Gators totaled five turnovers against just three assists.
Clayton and the Gators sprung to open the second half, starting the session with a 13-3 run to retake the lead. The star guard scored 10 points over the first nine minutes of the half, helping the Gators speed up game tempo.
That change of pace flustered the Tigers, who amassed a dozen turnovers over the final 20 minutes after they had just two giveaways in the first half.
The Tigers and Gators exchanged the lead five times through the first 13 minutes of the second half. Senior center Dylan Cardwell gave the Tigers a 63-62 lead with a dunk with 6:52 remaining, but the Gators responded with a 14-5 run and never trailed again.
Clayton made 11 of 18 shots, including a 5 of 8 clip from 3-point range. Gators senior guard Alijah Martin chipped in 17 points. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh scored 12 points off the Gators bench.
Senior guard Chad Baker-Bazara led the Tigers with 18 points. Broome and senior guard Denver Jones chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively, for the Tigers.
The Gators will take on the Blue Devils or Cougars at 8:50 p.m. EDT Monday in San Antonio. That matchup will air on CBS.
