Florida Gators
South Carolina
Men's Hoops Gets Much Needed Win Over South Carolina 69-58
Thursday, February 26, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Fueled by a 14-0 run late in the game, Florida (16-8, 7-6) defeated South Carolina (20-7, 7-6) 69-58 Wednesday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The win marked the 200th victory for head coach Billy Donovan. Anthony Roberson led the Gators with 24 points and seven assists.
"From a coaching standpoint, I couldn't be any prouder of [the team] in what they are doing in terms of effort and willingness to do what they have to do," said Donovan.
Tied at 53 with 3:50 remaining in the game, a Roberson shot from behind the arc spurred a run that would lead the Gators to a much needed victory. Florida was able to hold the Gamecocks scoreless for 3:31 during that stretch. Roberson, Matt Walsh and David Lee accounted for all 16 Gator points to end the game, as Florida limited South Carolina to two field goals on their last eight possessions.
"We have a lot of freshman like Lee [Humphrey] and Mohamed [Abukar]," said Roberson. "They look into your eyes to see your fight, to see what your next move is going to be. [Walsh, Lee and I] have to be there for them. We have experience so we have to keep going. We look forward to out leadership role."
Walsh and Lee both finished in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Each also had a team-high five rebounds in the effort. Florida dished out 15 assists and had seven steals.
Florida capitalized on 13 South Carolina turnovers, scoring 17 points off Gamecock mishaps. Defensively, the Gators turned the ball over only seven times, just two coming in the second half.
The Gators started the game off hot, going on an 12-4 game-opening run powered by eight points from Roberson. South Carolina came back late in the first half, narrowing the gap to 29-28 at intermission.
South Carolina came out strong in the second half, but Florida was able to withstand a five point deficit as they rallied to a 10-0 run in the middle of the second half. After reclaiming the lead with 8:50 remaining, the Gators never trailed again.
Rolando Howell, the only Gamecock to score in double figures, led South Carolina with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Gamecocks only shot 40 percent from the field.
Florida has now swept the series with South Carolina for three straight years.
Florida travels to Fayetteville on Saturday to face Arkansas. The game will be aired on Jefferson Pilot. Tip off is set for 4 p.m.
