Gators Get What They Need In Non-Conference Finale
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The UF men's basketball team needed a game like this. The Gators needed to go wire-to-wire and show that they had it in them. Most of all, they needed to make sure they didn't trip coming off a big win.
That was the message in the locker room after Florida ended Xavier's 30-game home win streak on New Year's Eve. Billy Donovan had seen a big win followed by a deflating loss twice already this season.
He had no interest in a three-peat.
He reminded the Gators that after knocking off Florida State on the road, they went to Orlando and lost to UCF. He made sure they didn't forget that after a neutral-site win over then-No. 6-ranked Kansas State, they came home and played lethargic in UF's first loss to Jacksonville in 16 years.
The Gators responded Monday night in their final non-conference game of the season, cruising to an impressive 84-59 win over Rhode Island before an announced crowd of 8,016 at the O'Connell Center.
“I thought we played a pretty complete game,'' Donovan said. “We defended very well, but the difference in the game tonight was one, the rebounding margin, and two, the way we defended the 3-point line.''
As a result, Donovan enjoyed the view from the bench.
He saw senior forward Chandler Parsons have his best game, recording his second double-double of the season with a season-high 18 points and season-high 12 rebounds. Parsons also added five assists and a couple of impressive dunks.
He saw junior point guard Erving Walker hit three 3-pointers and play under control, dishing out five assists. When he does that, the Gators are 22-2.
He saw his team score 80 points for the first time since Nov. 18 against North Carolina A&T, a span of 10 games. He saw the Gators blow the game open in the first half by going on a 22-2 run.
He saw freshman center Patric Young score eight points and grab five rebounds in his first career start, subbing for a banged up Vernon Macklin, who played but had help from Young.
What did Young see that he'll remember most from his starting debut?
“Casey's dunk,'' Young said, referring to teammate Casey Prather's high-flying dunk with four seconds left. “I was right there. It was like slow motion. I thought I was in a movie watching him take off like 10 feet from the rim.''
It was that kind of night for the Gators. They left the O'Connell Center feeling good entering the Southeastern Conference portion of the schedule. The Gators open SEC play at home on Saturday against Ole Miss.
They have won three in a row since that disappointing loss to Jacksonville on Dec. 20.
“It's always good to play well,'' said Parsons, who recorded his first double-double since Nov. 21 against Morehead State. “For us to play the way we did as a team tonight, it really says something. We've struggled coming off a big win. We didn't want a letdown.''
Florida led by as many as 28 against the Rams, who are no pushover from the Atlantic 10. But on Monday, the Gators came to play – from start to finish.
“That all started with defense,'' said Walker, who finished with 14 points. “We were able to get some stops and some steals and get out and run. We just had to keep the defensive intensity. We didn't let up this game.''
Next up is Ole Miss and the SEC. To be the team Donovan envisions, the Gators will need more performances like Monday's against Rhode Island.
“I didn't know if we could hold them to 59 points because they have so many offensive weapons. But we did,'' Donovan said. “We're moving in the right direction. We've got to try and build off this and try to get better.''
When it was all over, Young reflected on what the head coach told the team in the locker room after its win at Xavier.
“We've had two slip-ups,'' he said. “We're not going to let that happen again.''
The Gators got the message.
NOTES: Donovan said forward Erik Murphy, who did not play Monday, is expected to miss five to 10 days with a sprained foot … Freshman forward Will Yeguete had to leave the game in the second half after getting hit in the groin/lower abdomen region. He will be re-evaluated on Tuesday … Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton converted the fifth four-point play of his career Monday, hitting a 3-pointer and then a FT that gave the Gators a 52-30 second-half lead.
