Florida Gators
Vanderbilt
Basketball Edged Out by Vanderbilt, 95-87, in SEC Opener
Saturday, January 9, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Despite career performances by guards Kenny Boynton (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the Florida Gators (11-4) were defeated by Vanderbilt (12-3), 95-87, in their SEC season opener at the Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn. Boynton tallied a career-best 28 points, shooting 10-of-21 from the field and six-of-14 from behind the arc. The freshman added four assists and three rebounds. Walker scored a career-high 21 points in the loss, going three-of-six from the field and connecting on three of his six three-point attempts. The sophomore led the team with six assists.
Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy scored 24 points as the Commodores earned their sixth-consecutive victory. The Gators hadn't lost an SEC opener since 2001 at South Carolina, and that streak included four wins on the road to open league play. Florida also came in having won three straight this season and having dominated this series as winners of 15 of the past 18.
The Gators fell into foul trouble early and were outscored by the Commodores 20-8 off turnovers. Florida headed into the locker room with a 44-42 lead after junior Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) made the final basket of the half for the Gators. Tyus finished with 12 points, shooting six-of-eight from the field. Senior Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.) added 11 points, four steals, four rebounds and four assists.
Vanderbilt's Jermaine Beal tallied scored 22 points, Jeffrey Taylor had 14 and freshman John Jenkins added 13.
The Gators continue SEC play as they host No. 3 Kentucky at the O'Connell Center on Tuesday. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET.
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