With junior forward Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.) and senior guard Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) each collecting 17 points, the No. 19 Gators defeated Bradley, 81-58, on Sunday. With the victory, Florida has started the year 2-0 for the seventh consecutive season.
Werner was four-of-six on three-pointers, while Hodge was five-of-nine. Overall, the Gators were 14-for-32 from behind the arc. The 14 treys allowed by Bradley was the second most in school history. The Gators' final seven field goals were three-pointers.
Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) added 13 points, seven rebounds and led the squad with six assists and four steals. Sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) led the Gators with 10 rebounds, while adding four points, two assists and two blocks.
Florida closed the first half with a 23-7 run for a 42-25 lead. Bradley led for the game's first 8:58 until Werner tied the game at 13-13 with 11:02 remaining. The Gators took a 19-15 lead before Bradley guard Dodie Dunson, who finished the game with 15 points, hit a 3-pointer with 8:05 remaining.
Bradley scored just four points—all on free throws—after Dunson's basket until guard Sam Maniscalco hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining, a stretch of 7:51 without a field goal.
Hodge sparked Florida's run in the first half with a 3-pointer with 5:43 to play, and he added another and a pair of free throws during the run. The half ended with a trey by Calathes at the buzzer.
Bradley started the second half on a 10-1 run to cut Florida's lead to 43-35. The Braves stayed within 11 points until Florida got hot from 3-point range. Freshman Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) started the run in the second half with a 3-pointer with just more than 10 minutes remaining to push Florida's lead to 59-45. Walker tallied 10 points, including six from behind the arc.
The Gators return to action on Thursday when they face Southern Utah at 8 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The game will be broadcast live by Sun Sports.
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