Auburn Upsets No. 16 Florida 76 to 67 as Keyshawn Hall Delivers Statement Road Win

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Auburn delivered a season defining road win Saturday night as Keyshawn Hall scored 24 points to lift the Tigers to a 76 to 67 upset of No. 16 Florida, marking Auburn’s first victory in Gainesville since 1996.

Hall set the tone early, pouring in 22 points in the first half as Auburn built a 15 point lead behind sustained scoring runs of 7 to 0, 8 to 0, and 12 to 0. The Tigers controlled the tempo from the opening minutes and forced Florida into extended stretches of half court offense.

Florida, the defending national champion and an 11.5 point favorite, rallied after halftime and tied the game twice, but could not reclaim the lead. Tahaad Pettiford’s driving layup with 4 minutes 24 seconds remaining pushed Auburn ahead 62 to 56, and the Tigers closed the game with disciplined execution at both ends.

The loss snapped Florida’s five game winning streak, a 16 game home winning streak, and a 15 game run in the series against Auburn.

Hall was the decisive factor throughout. The 6 ft 7 senior finished 8 of 17 from the field, including 3 of 5 from three point range, and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He consistently scored at all three levels, particularly in the opening half, when Florida struggled to contain his physicality.

Auburn also limited Florida’s strength on the glass. The Tigers outscored the Gators 36 to 28 in the paint and held Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon to a combined 11 points and 16 rebounds. Florida entered the game as one of the top rebounding teams nationally.

KeShawn Murphy contributed 16 points and 9 rebounds for Auburn, while Pettiford added 11 points and 5 rebounds. Auburn improved to 13 and 7 overall and 4 and 3 in Southeastern Conference play, extending its winning streak to three games.

Thomas Haugh led Florida with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Urban Klavzar scored 12 points off the bench. Florida fell to 14 and 6 overall and 5 and 2 in conference play.

Auburn returns home to host Texas on Wednesday night.

Florida travels to South Carolina on Wednesday night.