At the Buzzer: No. 25 Florida 106, LSU 71 (Instant Breakdown)
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators, behind a 58-point first half and school-record 19 3-point baskets, demolished the Tigers on the road to snap a two-game losing streak.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 25 FLORIDA 106, LSU 71
WHAT HAPPENED: Behind a school-record hailstorm of 3-point shooting, the Gators obliterated the Tigers for a much-needed Southeastern Conference road win at Maravich Assembly Center, hitting 100 points in regulation against a league opponent for the first time in 15 years. Junior forward Devin Robinson scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and nailed five shots from the arc, as UF snapped a frustrating two-game losing streak in dominating fashion. Senior forward Justin Leon had 15 points, reserve point guard Chris Chiozza had nine points, five rebounds and 10 assists, while seldom-used backup guard Eric Hester went 5-for-5 from deep on his way to a career-high 16 points. UF, which exactly one week earlier went 0-for-17 against the nation's No. 1 defensive team at South Carolina, bombed in 11 of its 14 shots from the arc -- that's 73.3 percent -- in the first half on the way to taking a 58-33 lead at the break, the most points the defense-challenged Tigers had given up before intermission this season. The Gators shot 58.1 percent for the period overall while answering Coach Mike White's challenge for better defense in holding LSU to 37 percent from the floor and just 1-for-9 from distance. By the time the final horn sounded, UF had made 19 shots from distance, breaking the school record of 18, to go with its first 100-point game in SEC regulation play since beating LSU Tigers 102-70 on Jan. 16, 2002 in Gainesville.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators not only got to celebrate a win for the first time in 11 days, this was exactly the wire-to-wire performance they needed. Having lost to a sub.-500 team in Vandy -- at home -- over the weekend, they could ill afford to trip up on the road against an opponent just one game out of the SEC cellar. That was never going to happen. Instead, UF is now just a game out of first place in the SEC standings, based on No. 4 Kentucky's upset loss Tuesday night at Tennessee, and a half-game out of second behind No. 23 South Carolina.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In last year's 96-91 loss here, Robinson went 4-for-5 from the 3-point line. This time, he buried five of eight. That's 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) for his trips. He must like PMAC. Not to be overlooked were the performances of Leon and Chiozza, both of whom were dealing with rough stretches on both ends of the floor. Maybe this will serve as confidence boosters for the duo.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The 73.3 from the arc in the first half would seem like the obvious number here, but how 'bout this one? The Gators never scored 58 in a first half of a conference game in 19 seasons (and 310 games) under Billy Donovan. The most was 56 at Vanderbilt in 2009. Yes, the shot clock ticked longer for most of his time, but still.
UP NEXT: Florida (15-5, 6-2) will stay in Baton Rouge overnight and Thursday morning go straight to Norman, Okla., where the Gators will take on the Sooners (8-11) Saturday as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The game will mark just the second all-time meeting against OU, as well as the second against former Coach Lon Kruger, who went 104-80 in six seasons at UF from 1990-96. This will be the second time Kruger has faced the Gators. The last time he was coaching at Illinois during the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Florida won 93-76 in second-round play at Winston-Salem, N.C.
No. 25 FLORIDA 106, LSU 71
WHAT HAPPENED: Behind a school-record hailstorm of 3-point shooting, the Gators obliterated the Tigers for a much-needed Southeastern Conference road win at Maravich Assembly Center, hitting 100 points in regulation against a league opponent for the first time in 15 years. Junior forward Devin Robinson scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and nailed five shots from the arc, as UF snapped a frustrating two-game losing streak in dominating fashion. Senior forward Justin Leon had 15 points, reserve point guard Chris Chiozza had nine points, five rebounds and 10 assists, while seldom-used backup guard Eric Hester went 5-for-5 from deep on his way to a career-high 16 points. UF, which exactly one week earlier went 0-for-17 against the nation's No. 1 defensive team at South Carolina, bombed in 11 of its 14 shots from the arc -- that's 73.3 percent -- in the first half on the way to taking a 58-33 lead at the break, the most points the defense-challenged Tigers had given up before intermission this season. The Gators shot 58.1 percent for the period overall while answering Coach Mike White's challenge for better defense in holding LSU to 37 percent from the floor and just 1-for-9 from distance. By the time the final horn sounded, UF had made 19 shots from distance, breaking the school record of 18, to go with its first 100-point game in SEC regulation play since beating LSU Tigers 102-70 on Jan. 16, 2002 in Gainesville.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators not only got to celebrate a win for the first time in 11 days, this was exactly the wire-to-wire performance they needed. Having lost to a sub.-500 team in Vandy -- at home -- over the weekend, they could ill afford to trip up on the road against an opponent just one game out of the SEC cellar. That was never going to happen. Instead, UF is now just a game out of first place in the SEC standings, based on No. 4 Kentucky's upset loss Tuesday night at Tennessee, and a half-game out of second behind No. 23 South Carolina.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In last year's 96-91 loss here, Robinson went 4-for-5 from the 3-point line. This time, he buried five of eight. That's 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) for his trips. He must like PMAC. Not to be overlooked were the performances of Leon and Chiozza, both of whom were dealing with rough stretches on both ends of the floor. Maybe this will serve as confidence boosters for the duo.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The 73.3 from the arc in the first half would seem like the obvious number here, but how 'bout this one? The Gators never scored 58 in a first half of a conference game in 19 seasons (and 310 games) under Billy Donovan. The most was 56 at Vanderbilt in 2009. Yes, the shot clock ticked longer for most of his time, but still.
UP NEXT: Florida (15-5, 6-2) will stay in Baton Rouge overnight and Thursday morning go straight to Norman, Okla., where the Gators will take on the Sooners (8-11) Saturday as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The game will mark just the second all-time meeting against OU, as well as the second against former Coach Lon Kruger, who went 104-80 in six seasons at UF from 1990-96. This will be the second time Kruger has faced the Gators. The last time he was coaching at Illinois during the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Florida won 93-76 in second-round play at Winston-Salem, N.C.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballFlorida Cross Country | Women Punch Their Ticket to NCAA Championships 🥳
Friday, November 14
Up Next presented by UF Health 11-14-25
Friday, November 14
Florida Women's Basketball | Nyadieng "Nidi" Yiech Scores Career-High 18 PTS in 14 MINS 🔥
Friday, November 14
Florida Cross Country | ON SITE for NCAA South Regional 📍
Friday, November 14
