Florida Gators
West Virginia
Gators Down West Virginia at Orange Bowl Classic
Sunday, December 21, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Matt Walsh found ways to score.
After struggling from the field in consecutive losses to Maryland and Louisville, Walsh scored 17 points to help No. 15 Florida rebound with a 70-57 victory over West Virginia on Saturday night in the Orange Bowl Classic.
Walsh was just 4-of-21 shooting in the two losses, including 1-of-9 from 3-point range. He didn't shoot the ball particularly well from the floor against West Virginia, but compensated with putbacks, short jumpers and free throws.
He was 8-for-8 from the line and added eight rebounds, six steals and five assists to earn MVP honors at the Orange Bowl Classic for the second straight year. In two Orange Bowl Classics, Walsh is averaging 25.0 points per game and has hit all 22 free throws he's attempted.
"I don't want to let shooting affect the rest of my game," Walsh said. "If I did I wouldn't be on the court."
The Gators used a 20-1 run early in the second half to overcome a six-point halftime deficit and win for the fifth time in five years in the annual event.
David Lee scored most of his in the paint, Walsh got to the line and Christian Drejer was accurate from long range. Drejer finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting that included 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
West Virginia (5-3) led 42-38 early in the second half, but the Gators sparked the spurt with a half-court trap and effective man-to-man defense. The Mountaineers opened the second half with nine turnovers and just seven points in the first five minutes.
"Coach Donovan told us that we were going to stay in the press even if we lose by 30," Drejer said.
West Virginia, which was led by Drew Schifino's 15 points, had 14 of its 17 turnovers in the second half and went nearly 11 minutes without a field goal.
"It was just fluky things that just mushroomed," Mountaineers coach John Beilein said. "I thought we were a beautiful team in the first half, then all of a sudden we were an ugly team."
Lee started the run with a dunk -- one that brought former Gator and current Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem to his feet. Haslem watched the game from the end of Florida's bench.
Anthony Roberson's jumper tied the game, and then Drejer's 3-pointer put the Gators ahead for good with just under 12 minutes to play.
Walsh scored six of Florida's next eight points to extend the run and seal the victory. He hit two free throws then got a steal and made the layup on the other end. After the play, Schifino knocked Walsh to the ground and was called for a technical foul. Walsh hit two more free throws.
Florida will try and make it two in a row on Monday when they return home to take on Northeastern University at 7 p.m. at the O'Connell Center. Northeastern is 5-4 with a win over West Virginia.
