Florida Gators
St. Peter's College
M. Basketball Downs Saint Peter?s In Season Opener
Thursday, November 10, 2005 | Men's Basketball
The Gator men's basketball raised the curtain on its 2005-06 season with an 80-51 victory over Saint Peter's College in the opening round of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Wednesday night. Florida notched its 15th-straight win on opening night, as Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) put up 18 points for the Orange and Blue to lead all scorers. Head coach Billy Donovan improved to 10-0 in season debuts for the Gators.
In the other first round match-up, Albany defeated Oakland (Mich.), 90-73. The Danes next advance to meet the Gators on Thursday night at 8 p.m., while the Golden Grizzlies will take on Saint Peter's at 5:30 p.m. The winner of the Gainesville Regional earns a berth in the tournament's semifinal round, to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York over Nov. 17-18.
Sophomore center Al Horford (Puerto Plata, D.R.) contributed a double-double to the Florida attack, with 10 points and 10 rebounds off the defensive glass, as well as a team-high three blocks. Junior guard Lee Humphrey (Maryville, Tenn.) chipped in with 14 points, one shy of his career high, while junior Chris Richard (Lakeland, Fla.) finished the contest with 11 points and three rebounds.
Sophomore forward Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) also scored in double digits for the Gators with 10 points and nine rebounds against the Peacocks. Sophomore guard Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) dished a game-high six assists, and contributed four steals and eight points to the win. Freshmen guards Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) and David Huertas (Humacao, Puerto Rico) each made his collegiate debuts as Gators, as Hodge notched two assists and one steal, and Huertas contributed five points.
The teams battled back and forth during the first half, as Florida carried a 10-point lead into the locker room. The Gator offense lit a fire at the break, though, coming back to outscore the Peacocks 43-24 in the second half, leading by as many as 39 points with 4:35 to play. A 13-0 stretch expanded UF's margin to 56-32, which was followed by a 22-7 run that effectively put the game out of reach.
Florida finished the contest with 29-for-54 shooting from the field, to finish at 53.7 percent. The Gators also capitalized on 17 Peacock turnovers, scoring 23 points as a result. UF limited Keydren Clark, the two-time defending NCAA Division I scoring champion, to just 4-of-17 field goal shooting and 11 points, 15 points shy of his average last season. Raul Orta led Saint Peter's with 17 points, highlighted by a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.
-UF-
