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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CHICAGO (AP) -- In the first half, DePaul couldn't play any
better. In the second, the Blue Demons just had to hang on when Florida took control of the game.
"We knew they'd make some pushes, but we didn't think they'd come all the way back," DePaul's Quentin Richardson said after the Blue Demons blew a 21-point second-half lead before beating the Gators (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) 71-69 Wednesday night.
|  | | DePaul's Quentin Richardson reaches for one of his game-high nine rebounds. |
"Our best offense is often our defensive pressure. We wore them down, but they did a good job of maintaining the lead," said
Florida's Mike Miller, whose last-second errant pass ended the
Gators' remarkable second-half comeback.
Bobby Simmons scored DePaul's final five points after Florida -- behind its press and fast break -- had taken its only lead at 67-66 on Brett Nelson's two free throws with 2:55 left. The fouls shots capped a 33-11 run by the Gators.
"We haven't had this kind of lead against an outstanding
team," said DePaul coach Pat Kennedy, whose team has been knocked out of the Top 25 by three losses in its previous four games.
"We appeared a little tired."
Richardson scored 17 points for DePaul, but had only four in the second half. Simmons finished with 15, none bigger this season than his final five.
Miller scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half for
Florida, but his last-second pass to Brent Wright sailed out of
bounds.
"I'll take the blame of the game," Miller said. "On the bad
pass at the end and for not having us ready at the beginning of the
game. That's what a leader's supposed to do."
DePaul (13-6) had 19 first-half points off 10 Florida turnovers to take a 46-32 lead and then used a 9-2 run opening the second half to make it 55-34.
Then the pressing Gators (14-4) turned the game around and nearly won it behind its deep bench and the play of Miller and
Nelson.
After Nelson's two free throws, Simmons' dunk gave DePaul the lead back at 68-67. Richardson slapped the ball away seconds later, but teammate Kerry Hartfield's jumper got stuck between the rim and the backboard.
DePaul retained possession on the jump ball, and Richardson hit Simmons for a layup with 1:18 left to put DePaul up 70-67. Simmons made one of two free throws and it was 71-67 before Udonis Haslem muscled in a basket for the Gators to make it 71-69 with 46 seconds left.
After a miss by Simmons, Florida rebounded and took a timeout with 8.7 seconds left before Miller's pass went over Wright's
hands.
"The ball just kind of sailed on Mike," Florida coach Billy
Donovan said. "We didn't pack it in when we were down by 21. But
I'm not into moral victories. You win or you lose and we lost to a
team that was better than us."
DePaul's Paul McPherson separated his shoulder when he drove to the basket and hit the floor hard after a collision with Florida's Donnell Harvey with 3:20 left. McPherson will be evaluated daily.
The Gators, shooting 49 percent entering the game, couldn't find the basket early at the United Center, going 12-of-31 (39 percent) in the first half and missing all seven of their 3-pointers.
DePaul, meanwhile, shot 60 percent in the first half. Richardson hit three early 3-pointers and the Blue Demons used a 19-6 run punctuated by Hartfield's 3-pointer and a dunk by Steven Hunter to take a 30-15 lead.
The loss kept Florida from setting a school record for
single-season non-conference wins. The Gators finished 11-2 in
out-of-league play.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Florida Clubhouse
DePaul Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bobby Simmons puts DePaul back in the lead for good.
avi: 702 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Mike Miller plays the pick-and-roll with Donnell Harvey.
avi: 651 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Steven Hunter gets the ball from Rashon Burno in the paint and throws it down.
avi: 690 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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