Florida basketball runs out of gas in SEC Tournament final loss to Auburn

Florida basketball's inspired run to the SEC Tournament final came to a disappointing end Sunday as the weary Gators lost 86-67 to Auburn at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Playing four games in four days for the first time since 1942, the sixth-seeded Florida Gators (24-11) were unable to stay with Auburn for the full 40 minutes. Florida trailed by eight points at halftime but cut that margin to a point, 45-44, on a 3-pointer by guard Walter Clayton Jr. with 17 minutes remaining.

But Auburn quickly regained control of the game, going on a 10-0 run to take a 55-45 lead on a 3-pointer by guard Trey Donaldson. From there, Auburn extended its lead to as many as 21 points in the second half.

Zyon Pullin led four UF scorers in double figures with 15 points, with Clayton Jr. adding 13 points

Florida was held to fewer than 70 points for just the third time this season and first time since falling 67-66 to Texas A&M on Feb. 3.

Florida was unable to overcome an early gruesome leg injury to 7-foot-1 starting center Micah Handlogten, who was taken off the court on a stretcher early in the first half with a broken leg.

Tough blow:Florida basketball's Micah Handlogten leaves SEC Tournament final on stretcher with leg injury

Taming TAMU:Florida basketball storms into SEC Tournament final with win over Texas A&M

Handlogten was tended to by paramedics and UF team trainers and was taken off the court with an air cast before being transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Teammates huddled toward Handlogten was he was taken off the court. The injury had an effect on Florida, as UF started the game just 3-of-17 from the floor and trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half.

Down 31-19, Florida closed the half on an 11-7 run, going into halftime trailing 38-30. The Gators shot 28.1% from the floor in the first half and went 0-of-7 from 3-point range. Florida was held to a season-low in both points (30) and field goal percentage (28.1) in the first half.

Here are three takeaways from the Florida loss:

Florida basketball loses game at the 3-point line

The Gators went just 1-of-13 from 3-point range, compared to Auburn's 6-of-19. Tired legs hurt, and so did one of UF's top 3-point shooters, Will Richard, getting in foul trouble. Richard picked up three first-half fouls and finished with just four points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Auburn forward Johni Broome too much for Florida basketball to handle inside

The injury to Handlogten left one less body to throw at Broome, and the All-SEC center had his way inside against the Gators with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Florida basketball freshman forwards Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon step up in Handlogten's absence

A bright spot for the Gators was the play of freshman forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, who took on added minutes and responsibility in Handlogten's absence. Haugh had 11 points and five rebounds, while Condon ended up with six points and seven rebounds. Both are going to need to continue to play well for Florida to make an NCAA Tournament run.