Florida Gators
Savannah State
No. 2 Florida Men Cruise Past Savannah State For 17th Straight Win
Thursday, January 19, 2006 | Men's Basketball
The No. 2 Florida men's basketball team defeated Savannah State, 113-62, and pushed its record-setting winning streak to 17 games on Wednesday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. With the victory, the Gators moved to 17-0 (3-0 SEC) on the season and finished the non-conference portion of their schedule an unblemished 14-0. Sophomore Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field and produced a team-high 21 points, to go along with four blocks and two assists.
Freshman guard Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) posted a career-high 18 points in the game, including a 5-for-7 effort from three-point range, also a career mark. David Huertas (Humacao, Puerto Rico) also contributed a career-topping effort to the win, with 15 points and eight rebounds, which were both collegiate highs for the freshman. Sophomore Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) rounded out the Gators who scored in double-figures with 11 points, and contributed a game-high seven assists and three rebounds.
Sophomore Al Horford (Puerto Plata, D.R.) finished the contest just shy of a double-double, with nine points and 10 rebounds. Horford also accounted for half of UF's blocked shots on the night, finishing with a season-high six. Sophomore Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) contributed an all-around effort for the Orange and Blue with eight points, seven boards, five assists and two steals.
Sophomores Garrett Tyler (Palm Harbor) and Jack Berry (Windermere) each finished the game with career-high scoring efforts. Tyler notched seven points, including his first three-point basket of the season, and hauled down a career-high three rebounds. Berry finished the game with a career-best five points and grabbed one board.
The Orange and Blue opened the contest with a 13-0 run that ended at the 15:44 mark. Short Gator scoring runs followed before UF mounted a 21-0 attack that took the score to 45-10 and the Tigers out of the game. The two teams traded shots for the remainder of the half before Florida took a 57-23 advantage into the locker room. As a team, UF blocked 10 shots in the first half alone – its previous shot-blocking high for an entire game.
Out of the break, Florida continued to dominate on the offensive end with a 12-3 run. Short scoring streaks followed for the Gators, who outscored the Tigers in the second half, 56-39, to eventually win the game by a 113-62 margin.
UF shot 59.7 percent from the field for the game, compared to Savannah State's 31.8 percent. Florida also took advantage of the Tigers' 17 turnovers, scoring 27 points. The Gators improved upon their 19.3 assists per game average, as they dished 26 as a team to mark the eighth time this season they've finished with 20 or more, and also blocked a season-high 12 shots on the night. The Orange and Blue have now scored 80+ points in 11 of 17 games this season, and in nine of its last 12, to mark the 38th consecutive game Florida has won when scoring 80 points or more.
Next up, the Gators will take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Southeastern Conference action at the Thompson/Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 21. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in the contest to be shown on FSN-Florida.
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