Florida Gators
Miami
Gator Men's Hoops Defeats Miami For Best Start In School History
Friday, December 23, 2005 | Men's Basketball
In what is quickly becoming a season of firsts, the fifth-ranked University of Florida added one more Thursday night in Miami – 11-0 for the first time, the school's best start ever.
Win No. 11 wasn't easy, as the Gators defeated an upset-minded University of Miami, 77-67, before 7,000 fans at the Bank United Center in Coral Gables. Florida trailed by as many as nine in the first half, and by as many as five in the second before scoring the game's final 10 points. The win surpassed the 1951-52 squad's 10-0 start as the greatest in school history.
With the game tied at 67-67 with 1:53 remaining, Al Horford made a lay-up to put the Gators up for good. Florida turned its defensive intensity up a notch and didn't yield another point.
Joakim Noah led four Gators in double figures with 18 points, eight rebounds and an eye-popping six blocks, while Lee Humphrey had 15 points, all coming on three-pointers. Corey Brewer had 13 points and a game-high five assists while Taurean Green added 11.
Guillermo Diaz of Miami led all scorers with 25 points.
Miami jumped out of the gates quickly, as Florida struggled offensively in the early going. The Hurricanes led 33-25 with just under a 90 seconds remaining in the half before an improbably 8-0 run by UF to end the half. Corey Brewer was fouled with :00.9 on a three-point attempt and hit a trio of free throws to send UF into the locker room tied at 33-33.
UF came out quickly in the second half, jumping out of the gates on an 8-2 run to take a 41-35 lead and, seemingly, control of the game. Miami quickly responded with an 8-0 run of their own and the see-saw battle began.
The Hurricanes led 64-59 with 6:32 remaining. Joakim Noah added a dunk and three free throws over a two-minute stretch to bring UF even as they finished the game on an 18-3 run over the final six minutes.
UF shot 38.5 percent on the night and out-rebounded Miami 40-37, including 17 offensive rebounds. Six of Chris Richard's seven rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Florida dished out 14 assists and blocked 10 shots, led by Noah's six.
The Gators return to action on Dec. 30 when they host Florida A&M at 1 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
