Florida Gators
Barry
Men's Basketball Downs Barry, 83-47, In Exhibition Finale
Monday, November 6, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Junior forward Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) led all scorers with 18 points, and four other Gators netted double-figure point totals, as the University of Florida men's basketball team defeated Barry, 83-47, in its final exhibition game on Sunday at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
UF jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first game's first four minutes on the strength of two three-point field goals from senior guard Lee Humphrey (Maryville, Tenn.), and stretched its advantage to 12-8 at the midway point of the first half. A jump hook by freshman Marreese Speights (St. Petersburg, Fla.) pushed the lead to 26-14 with just over six minutes remaining in the opening period, and the Gators scored four points at the free throw line over the final five minutes of play en route to a 35-24 halftime lead.
Junior center Al Horford (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) and junior forward Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) connected on an alley-oop less than four minutes into the second half, giving Florida a 17-point advantage at 44-27, and Noah converted a three-point play after a dunk on the Gators' next trip down the floor to cap a 12-3 run for Florida after the break. Freshman forward Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.) contributed all 11 of his points in the second half, including three three-point field goals, and Florida shot 56.0 percent from the field after the break to pull away for the 83-47 win. The UF defense also found its stride after halftime, allowing only 23 second-half points to Barry – the second-lowest total in an exhibition game during the Billy Donovan Era.
Noah's 18 points paced the team, while Horford finished with 13, Werner chipped in 11 and Humphrey and junior guard Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) both scored 10 in the game. Horford grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double effort, and Noah hauled in nine to fall just shy of matching the feat. Green dished out five assists to lead UF.
As a team, Florida turned 22 Barry turnovers into 28 points, while also collecting 10 steals and blocking seven shots. Green was the individual steals leader, with four, and Noah swatted a team-high three shots.
Felipe Barrios led the Buccaneers with nine points on the evening, while Brian Chiverton's four rebounds were a team-high. Ryan Saunders handed out five assists to lead the team and tie for the game high.
Florida is now 51-13-1 all-time in exhibition contests, including a 26-2-1 mark under Donovan. The Gators will play their first regular-season game against Samford at the O'Connell Center on Friday, Nov. 10. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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