Florida Gators
South Carolina
Florida takes down South Carolina, 97-93
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) scored 22 points, sophomore forward Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) added 19 and Florida held on in the closing minutes to beat South Carolina with a 97-93 victory on Tuesday night in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Six players scored in double figures for the Gators as they avenged a disheartening loss two weeks ago in Columbia. Florida lost the previous meeting mostly because of two missed free throws in the final seconds. The Gamecocks returned the favor in the rematch, finishing 10 of 22 from the stripe.
Florida (19-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) won for the 13th time in its past 15 games, snapped South Carolina's four-game winning streak -- and with help from Mississippi State -- took over sole possession in the Eastern Division. The Bulldogs upset Kentucky 66-57 earlier Tuesday.
Freshman guard Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with a career-high 18 for the Gators, and sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) notched his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) added 12 points, including four free throws in the last 31 seconds, and junior forward Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.) had 10.
Devan Downey led South Carolina (16-5, 5-3) with 33 points. Zam Frederick added 17 and Dominique Archie chipped in 16.
The Gators will hit the road next week, traveling to Kentucky for a 9 p.m. tip on Tuesday (Feb. 10). They will head to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. Both games will be televised nationally, on ESPN and ABC, respectively.
