Florida Gators
Jacksonville
Men's Basketball Bottles Up Jacksonville, 88-72
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Calathes was 7-of-17 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and had a career-high nine assists and personal-best six steals. He also was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Calathes sparked a 15-0 run midway through the first half that gave the Gators all the cushion they needed to beat the Dolphins for the 17th time in the last 18 meetings.
Jacksonville led 14-12 early, then Calathes hit two 3-pointers, two free throws and had the pass of the night to Marresse Speights (St. Petersburg, Fla.). Speights caught Calathes' underhand lob with one hand and, in the same motion, slammed it home.
Speights finished with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting and added seven rebounds.
Sophomore forward Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.) filled the stat sheet, chipping in eight points, eight rebounds and three assists.
The Dolphins, coming off an 80-51 loss at No. 9 Michigan State and preparing for another tough road game at No. 5 Georgetown on Saturday, cut Florida's lead to 12 points, 74-62, with about seven minutes to play but was unable to get any closer.
The difference in the game was Florida's 3-point shooting and ability to get to the free-throw line, especially early. The Gators were 7-of-13 from 3-point range in the first half, helping build a 47-33 advantage at the break.
The Gators finished 9-of-23 from behind the arc and 19-of-23 from the stripe. Jacksonville was 2-of-12 from behind the arc in the first half, but finished 6-of-16 through the remainder of the game.
Next on the schedule is in-state opponent Florida A&M on Wednesday. The Gators and Rattlers are slated to tip off at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on Sun Sports.
