Florida Gators
Jacksonville
Gators Down Jacksonville University, 90-61
Friday, November 17, 2006 | Men's Basketball
The No. 1 University of Florida men's basketball team improved to a perfect 3-0 on the season as it defeated Jacksonville University, 90-61, Thursday evening in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Juniors Al Horford (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) and Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.), as well as sophomore Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), led the balanced Gator scoring attack as all three players scored in double figures. Overall, 12 players contributed with points in the win.
With the win, the Gators continued their home-winning streak against non-conference opponents and have now won 16-straight games, which marks the fourth-longest non-conference winning streak in Florida history.
Horford and Noah led the Gators in the first half with 17 and 14 points, respectively, as each shot 7-for-8 from the field. The Orange and Blue held the Dolphins scoreless during a nearly four-minute span midway through the half en route to a 16-0 run. Florida went from 15:09 to 0:22 in the first half without missing a shot and made 17 consecutive shots from the floor during that time.
As a team, Florida was 23-of-29 (79.3) in the opening half, 5-of-8 (62.5) from three-point range and 5-of-6 (83.3) from the charity stripe. Eight players contributed in the 36-point halftime lead, which featured six dunks by Noah.
The freshmen class was led by guard Brandon Powell (Memphis, Tenn.) in the second half, as he hit two tres and a pair of free throws for eight points. Of the Gators' 34 second-half points, more than half came from the freshmen quartet of Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.), Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), Marreese Speights (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Powell, who combined for 18 points in the period.
Jacksonville also had three players record double-digit figures. Corey Claitt led the Dolphins with 16 points, and Jesse Kimbrough and Tyrone Curnell each chipped in 10.
Overall, the Gators recorded 26 assists on its 34 made shots, and junior Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) notched a game-high seven assists. Florida also out-rebounded Jacksonville 39-23, with Horford grabbing a game-high nine boards. Noah also collected eight rebounds on the night.
The Gators improved on their three-point performance from previous games with a .533 average, after shooting .355 from three-point range in the first two games. Florida also improved its performance at the charity stripe by hitting 14-of-18 (.778). During the previous two games, Florida only hit 20-of-36 (.556).
Florida will return to action Saturday night with a 7 p.m. tip-off slated against Tennessee-Chattanooga. Fans are encouraged to bring a non-perishable item to the game to support the University of Florida Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's Harvest Food Drive.
-UF-
