Florida Gators
South Carolina
Gators Dominate South Carolina, 84-50
Saturday, January 13, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Lee Humphrey had seven 3-pointers and a career-high 27 points and No. 2 Florida won its ninth straight game, an 84-50 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.
With the win, the Gators (16-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) avenged a pair of regular season losses to South Carolina. The Gamecocks (10-5, 0-2) swept both regular-season meetings a year ago, then took Florida to the buzzer before losing the SEC tournament final, 49-47.
Florida and Humphrey had few of the same problems in this one. Humphrey went 5-of-5 from 3-point range -- almost all on wide-open shots -- and the Gators hit 11 of their first 13 shots to open a 30-16 lead.
After the Gamecocks rallied behind Tre Kelley's 20 first-half points to trail 37-33, Florida took control with a 27-7 run the first 12 minutes of the second half.
Humphrey, who finished 10-of-12 from the field, surpassed his career high for 3s, set in the Final Four against George Mason last spring. His points bested the 25 he had against Arkansas in the SEC tournament last March.
South Carolina has lost three straight, including two to top-10 teams. Last Sunday, the Gamecocks were beaten by No. 6 Kansas 70-54.
Kelley had 24 points and was the only Gamecock in double figures.
Florida, led by Humphrey, went 16-of-24 from the floor in the first half. Kelley pulled the Gamecocks back into the game, scoring 12 during the Gamecocks' 17-7 run that drew them within 37-33 with 1:44 to go before the break.
The Gators followed with two inside baskets by Al Horford down the stretch, including a power jam with 2 seconds left, that sent them into the half up 41-33.
After the break, the Gators tightened their defense on Kelley and the Gamecocks. The South Carolina senior was held to a pair of foul shots and one basket over the final 20 minutes. The Gamecocks went nearly 5 minutes without scoring.
Horford finished with his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds and dished out five assists. Joakim Noah just missed a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Taurean Green had 10 points as four Gators finished in double figures. UF hit a scorching 64.2 percent from the floor, 64.3 percent from three-point range and finished with 23 assists to just nine turnovers.
The Gators are off this week and return to action on Jan. 20 against Ole Miss at 1 p.m. at the O'Connell Center.
