Florida Gators
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Mississippi State
Instant Replay: Gators 79, South Carolina 60
Thursday, February 10, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
The Gators took the court Wednesday night at South Carolina looking for their third consecutive win. They also wanted to avenge one of their two SEC losses.
They can check both off their list.
Florida opened the game with a 9-0 run and never trailed to knock off the Gamecocks on the road for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Here is a quick look at the game:
How the game was won: The Gators started fast by going inside often in the first half. Center Vernon Macklin scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half, hitting all six of his shots from the floor. After South Carolina trimmed the Gators' lead to 9-7, the Gators regained control to take a 38-27 halftime lead, maintaining a double-digit lead the rest of the game.
Turning point: South Carolina closed to within 42-31 early in the second half on Sam Muldrow's dunk. However, Gators senior forward Chandler Parsons had a hand in five consecutive Florida baskets, scoring five points and dishing out three assists as the Gators stretched the lead to 53-35.
Player of the game: Parsons, after scoring only two points in the first half, had 12 in the second half to finish with his sixth double-double of the season: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists. Chandler's 12 rebounds give him sixth consecutive games with 10 or more boards.
Stat of the game: The Gators shot 55.4 percent from the floor and hit 8 of 18 three-pointers in one of their better shooting performances of the season. Also, Patric Young scored all of Florida's bench points, finishing with six in 24 minutes.
Don't forget me: Junior guard Erving Walker scored a season-high 25 points, but due to Parsons' all-around effort, Walker's production is a little overshadowed. In a team-high 36 minutes, Walker had an excellent shooting night. He made 7 of 9 from the floor, 7 of 9 from the line and hit 4 of 5 three-pointers.
What it means: The Gators are playing some of their best basketball of the season with consecutive wins over Vanderbilt, Kentucky and South Carolina. Florida improved to 19-5 overall, 8-2 in the SEC. The Gators have opened some breathing room over second-place Tennessee (15-8, 5-3) with the Vols making a stop at the O'Connell Center on Saturday night. Parsons has been the catalyst of late, nearly becoming the first Gator since his high school buddy Nick Calathes to record a triple-double for the Gators. Parsons missed out by two assists. Florida coach Billy Donovan reached a milestone with the victory: his 350th win as Gators head coach.
