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NCAA Tournament Recap (Weber St-Florida)
Posted: Sun March 14, 1999 at 1:35 a.m EST SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Greg Stolt scored five of his 26 points in overtime as sixth-seeded Florida outlasted upstart Weber State, 82-74, in an NCAA Tournament West Region second-round game. Freshman Teddy Dupay hit a crucial 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation and added a three-point play with 2:01 left in overtime as the Gators (22-8) advanced to the regional semifinals for the first time since 1994, when they went to the Final Four. Dupay finished with 14 points for Florida, which will play 10th-seeded Gonzaga in the West Region semifinals at Phoenix on Thursday. Weber State was denied in its bid to be just the third 14th seed to reach the round of 16 since the field expanded to 64 in 1985. The Gators played a 2-3 zone for the final four minutes of regulation and throughout overtime to stop Weber State's Harold Arceneaux, who again came up with a huge game for the underdog Wildcats (25-8). Weber State had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but Noel Jackson missed the second of three free throws with 8.2 seconds to play. "Switching to the zone enabled us not to chase them," said Gators coach Billy Donovan. "Their quickness gave us problems when they were fresh. When he (Arceneaux) catches the ball, he's beating the first guy. His shots were tough, challenged shots. When you play against a great player, you have to limit the amount of times he touches the ball." "Whoever named him `The Show' did him a disservice, he's a lot more than that," Dupay said. "He's the best player I've seen next to (former Gator) Jason Williams. Ever." Arceneaux, who had 36 points in Weber State's upset of North Carolina on Thursday, had another 32 tonight. The loss marked the end of coach Ron Abegglen's tenure at Weber State. Abegglen, who was asked to step down prior to the season by Weber State University president Paul Thompson due to personal problems and recruiting violations, compiled a 152-83 record in eight seasons with the Wildcats, recording five 20-win seasons and two second-round NCAA Tournament appearances, both as seeds. "I had a little pain here and there," said Abegglen. "I felt it was a great year and I felt good about all the stuff we have gone through. We were picked second in the league by most people, but we got to the big dance and we beat North Carolina, that's not too shabby. In the aftermath, I feel great, feel great about the team and am looking forward to working on my ugly golf swing." The 6-9 Stolt was able to establish position against the 6-6 Arceneaux on Florida's first two possessions of overtime, getting easy layups as the Gators held a 72-68 lead with 3:37 to go. A free throw by Andy Jensen pulled Weber State within three, but Dupay curled off a screen and hit a tough bank shot as he was fouled by Jackson. He made the free throw to make it 75-69. "I curled off the screen and I hit the glass," said Dupay about the three-point play. "If I hit the glass on a couple of other shots, we wouldn't have needed overtime. I just curled off a good screen." Arceneaux's final points came on a 13-footer, and Stolt sank the second of two free throws to make it 76-71 with 1:07 to play. Eddie Gill gave the Wildcats life by hitting a 3-pointer from the left side with 50 seconds left to make it 76-74. Mike Miller was fouled with 45 seconds and after making the first, missed the second but grabbed the rebound after it was tipped out. Brent Wright was fouled with 39 seconds left, and the 65 percent foul shooter sank both to make it 79-74. Kenyan Weaks added one free throw before Dupay sealed the victory with two of his own. The Gators held a 64-62 lead after Udonis Haslem hit a free throw with 3:58 to go in regulation, but the freshman center was hit with a technical four after hanging on the rim 41 seconds later. Gill hit the two foul shots to tie the game, and Arceneaux sank a tough 12-footer on the baseline to give Weber State a 66-64 lead with 2:13 remaining. The Gators regained the lead with just under a minute to play when Dupay drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner. Stolt sank the first of two free throws with 27 seconds left to make it 68-66, but Jackson was able to draw Weaks in the air and get the foul as he attempted a 3-pointer. But Jackson, a 66 percent foul shooter, missed the second one after Florida called timeout. Dupay had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but his runner bounced too hard off the glass. "The timeouts that Florida called did not bother me very much," insisted Jackson. "I went up, shot the first one, and ran to the bench. When I shot the second free throw, I thought that was in, but it came back out. Then I made the third free throw." Dupay was only 3-of-11 from the field but hit 6-of-7 from the foul line for Florida, which shot 49 percent (26-of-53) from the field and hit 11-of-25 from 3-point range. Eddie Shannon and Brent Wright dished out seven assists apiece. Arceneaux, who scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the first half, was 12-of-27 overall. The Wildcats shot 38 percent (24-of-63) overall and hit only 6-of-20 from beyond the arc. They made 14-of-26 from 3-point range in their upset of North Carolina.© 2000 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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