Florida Gators
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Kansas
Gators Upend No. 2 Kansas, 83-73
Saturday, November 30, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Matt Bonner and Matt Walsh scored 22 points apiece as the seventh-ranked Florida Gators upended No. 2 Kansas, 83-73, in the consolation game of the Owens Corning Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The win was the highest regular season victory ever for the Gators, who entered 0-10 all-time against teams ranked second in the nation. It was the highest ranked team a Gator squad has beaten since toppling No. 1-ranked Duke in the NCAA Tournament in 2000.
The Gators got off to a quick start and built a double-digit lead in the first half when Walsh finished a fast break with a driving lay-up to put the Gators up 29-19.
The freshmen sensation finished the first half with 12 points, while Bonner added 11 to help the Gators to a 38-26 lead heading into the locker room.
Kansas jumped on the Gators quickly in the second half, getting three-pointers from Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Miles in the first minute, to cut the lead to 38-32.
Gator head coach Billy Donovan appropriately called timeout and his team responded in a big way.
Anthony Roberson hit a trio of three-pointers, while Justin Hamilton and Matt Bonner added treys as well, as the Gators went on a 17-4 run to push their lead to 55-36.
The Jayhawks stormed back, however, and went on a 23-6 run of their own to cut the lead to two at 61-59 with seven minutes remaining.
Walsh calmly drilled a three pointer off a feed from Hamilton, and Kansas never cut the Gator lead to under five points again.
Florida returns to action on Tuesday evening, when they take on West Virginia in a neutral site game to be played in Charelston, W. Va. The game will be a homecoming for senior Brett Nelson who grew up in nearby St. Albans.
