Florida Gators
Charleston Southern
Men's Hoops Defeats Charleston Southern 74-62
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Freshman guard Anthony Roberson went 3-for-4 from behind the arc in the second half to lead the University of Florida men's basketball team to a 74-62 victory Monday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
"I knew coming in here that we would be very challenged in this basketball game," head coach Billy Donovan said. "They played a very good game. I thought they came in here with a lot of intensity and a lot of pride."
"I'm happy we won, but I think the reason we won is because we had some guys who made some
shots. I think we had eight minutes in the second half where we played very intense."
Roberson finished the game with 16 points and has scored in double figures in five consecutive games. Senior forward Matt Bonner scored a team-high 17 points and added six rebounds, three assists and a block.
The Buccaneers went on a 12-2 run during the first 10 minutes of the game but the Gators came back to finish the first half down by two.
The Gators reclaimed the lead at the 10:47 mark in the second half on a foul shot by senior guard Brett Nelson. Roberson scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half to spark a Florida victory.
"I was not going to let my team go down, I was going to go down fighting," Roberson said. "I just refused to lose."
Freshman Matt Walsh scored 14 points for Florida and senior guard Justin Hamilton added 13 points, six assists and six steals.
The Gators made 10-of-13 free throws in the game and hit 12 three points. Tonight's win was Florida's 34th consecutive over non-conference opponents at home.
The Gators host Bethune-Cookman Saturday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
