Florida Gators
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Mississippi State
No. 2 Gators Down Bulldogs, 75-60, To Run Mark to 15-0
Thursday, January 12, 2006 | Men's Basketball
In its Southeastern Conference home opener on Wednesday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, the No. 2 Florida men's basketball team defeated Mississippi State, 75-60, to improve its best start in school history to 15-0. The Gators went to 2-0 in SEC play and established a school record with their 15th consecutive win. Sophomore guard Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) led all scorers with 20 points, dished five assists and grabbed a game-high three steals in the effort.
Sophomore Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) added 18 points for the Gators, as well as four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Junior Lee Humphrey (Maryville, Tenn.) went 5-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range to notch 13 points for the Gators, and also contributed two steals. Although sophomore Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) finished the game with just five points, he made his presence known on the defensive end of the court with five defensive rebounds (seven total), a game-high three blocks and two steals.
The Gators raced out to a quick 13-3 lead in the first four minutes of the game behind the sharp-shooting of Green and Humphrey from three-point range, as they combined for nine of the points. The Bulldogs battled back, eventually cutting UF's 14-point lead at the 10:53 mark to a one-point advantage at 26-25. The Mississippi State surge was powered by a 15-2 run which sent the teams in the locker room at the half in a near deadlock at 35-32.
The Orange and Blue opened the second half with a 9-2 run, jump started with a trey by Humphrey. Shortly after, a 10-0 UF stretch closed the door on the Bulldogs and put the game out of reach with the Gators leading 60-40 with 11 minutes remaining. Mississippi State managed to cut Florida's lead down to 10 points with 4:50 left to play, but the Gators' accuracy behind the arc and stifling defense kept them on top as they went on to win by 15 points in front of 12,278 fans.
The Gators took advantage of the Bulldogs, out-scoring MSU by a 27-8 margin in points off turnovers. UF also recorded 67.9 percent shooting from the free throw line and 36.4 percent from behind the arc, compared to Mississippi State, which averaged 52.6 percent at the line, and just 25.0 percent in three-point territory. The Bulldogs also out-rebounded the Gators, 38-32. Jamont Gordon paced the visitors with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Orange and Blue finished the contest with 12 assists, as well as 13 steals and six blocks.
UF returns to the court on Saturday night for an SEC match-up against Auburn at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The game, which will be televised on Sun Sports, is slated to tip-off at 6 p.m.
-UF-
