Florida Gators
Maryland
No. 14 Men's Hoops Defeats No. 16 Maryland 69-64
Saturday, December 14, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Freshman Anthony Roberson (Saginaw, Mich.) scored 20 points, as the No. 14 University of Florida men's basketball team defeated No. 16 and defending national champion Maryland 69-64, Saturday at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md. The Gator victory snapped the Terrapins' 87-game home winning streak against non-conference teams, which spanned more than 13 years.
With the win, the Gators improved to 7-2 overall and ran their win streak to three games. The loss dropped Maryland to 4-3 on the season.
Roberson, who led UF in scoring for the second straight game, went 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-7 on three-point attempts. He also led the Gators with 19 points in their 68-52 win over South Florida last Sunday at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Roberson didn't start against the Terrapins, but played a team-high 33 minutes.
Roberson's three-pointer started a 9-0 run that put the Gators ahead 48-40 with 13:18 left. UF kept the lead the rest of the way, withRoberson hitting another three-pointer to silence the crowd after a timeout, just as the Terrapins had cut the lead to two with three minutes left.
Senior Matt Bonner (Concord, N.H.) added 16 points for Florida. Bonner also pulled down a season-high 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Sophomore David Lee (St. Louis, Mo.) was the only other Gator to score in double-figures as he netted 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Lee's 13 points came on 50-percent shooting (5-10) from the field, including two dunks in the first half that helped the Gators' offense settle into a rhythm.
Florida, down 10-3 early in the game, responded with a 14-4 run spurred by Roberson, who led all scorers with 12 first-half points. But a Steve Blake layup at the buzzer gave Maryland a 34-33 advantage going into the locker room at halftime.
Florida will be back in action next Saturday, as the Gators travel to Miami to take on the inter-state rival Hurricanes for a 7 p.m. tip at the Miami Arena.
