Florida Gators
South Carolina
Men's Basketball Nets Road Win at South Carolina, 73-71
Thursday, January 24, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Calathes scored 21 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer during a late 13-2 run, and Speights registered his fifth double-double of the year with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
The Gators improved to 17-3 on the season, picking up its fourth conference win. South Carolina fell to 9-9 overall and 1-3 in league play. UF defeated USC for the fourth straight meeting and came away with a series victory in 13 of the last 15 contests.
The Gamecocks picked up early momentum but Florida was able to keep things close and not let the game get out of hand. Much like the wins against Alabama and Auburn, the Gators headed to the locker room with big plays just before the half.
The Gators ended the half on a 6-0 run sparked by a trey from freshman guard Jai Lucas (Houston, Texas) in the corner. Calathes then split a double team on a pick-and-roll and threaded a pass to Speights who threw down a one-handed slam and converted a three-point play with the ensuing free throw. The 6-0 run cut USC's lead to two points going into halftime.
Calathes had 13 points in the first half and Speights was in double digits before halftime with 10. Action intensified following the intermission as both teams looked to break things open.
South Carolina extended its lead to nine points and Florida mustered an 8-0 run to pull within a point with just over 10 minutes left. Junior guard Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) drilled a three from the right wing to make it a three-point game and Speights used a left-handed shot to make it a one-point spread.
Speights pulled an acrobatic move with a tip-in while falling down to complete his fifth double-double of the year. His 14 rebounds were one shy away from his career high he set earlier in January against High Point.
UF registered back-to-back steals from full-court pressure past the midway point in the second half, forcing Devan Downey and Zam Fredrick into turnovers. Speights capitalized with another putback slam, following his own miss in the lane.
Range was not a factor for both teams, as shots rained down from well beyond the three-point stripe. The Gators and Gamecocks combined for 18 three-pointers, hitting with accuracy from all over the court.
Lucas nailed two three-pointers under the seven-minute mark, one from the top of the arc and another pull-up on a fast break to tie the game at 65. Calathes then connected on a deep three-point shot to give Florida a lead it would maintain the rest of the way.
South Carolina, which came into the game ranking third in the conference in free-throw shooting, hit just 5-of-11 attempts from the charity stripe. Downey led all scorers with 24 points.
South Carolina had a chance to win the game following Lucas' free-throw miss, but Downey's three-quarter court desperation heave fell short.
Florida returns home to the O'Connell Center to host Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be televised on Raycom.
