Instant Analysis: Florida 63, Wake Forest 50
Sunday, December 21, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 63, WAKE FOREST 50
WHAT HAPPENED: The Gators overcame a horrid offensive start and several scoring droughts to hold off a second-half charge by the Demon Deacons and win the Orange Bowl Classic at the BB&T Center at Sunrise, Fla. Junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith led all scorers with 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists, as UF won its fourth straight. Well into the second half, the Gators were hovering around 34 percent for the game and went a clangy 4-for-21 from the 3-point line before freshman point guard Chris Chiozza hit a timely trey with 6:34 to go after Wake had cut a 10-point UF lead to one. That basket helped Florida outscore Wake 17-5 down the stretch.
WHAT IT MEANS: UF improved to 14-2 in the Orange Bowl's basketball event, including wins in five straight, but more importantly the Gators have strung together a series of victories after dropping four of their first seven games. Florida has two more non-league outings -- including a Jan. 3 home date against defending national champion Connecticut -- before opening the Southeastern Conference slate early next month.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior forward Alex Murphy made his debut for the Gators a year after transfering from Duke. The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder who became eligible Friday with the end of the fall semester finished with nine points, four rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes. He'll provide a versatile guy who can come off the bench and play a variety of positions because of his athleticism and ability to run the floor. Both of those elements showed up against the Deacons.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: UF forced Wake into 24 turnovers that the Gators converted into 25 points, with Deacons forward Devin Thomas committing 10 all by himself. Thomas came into the game averaging nearly a double-double (11.5 points, 9.3 rebounds), but with just four points and four boards, the only category he hit double-digits was the one that said "TO."
UP NEXT: After the game, Florida (7-4) broke for the Christmas holidays, with several players leaving from South Florida and heading home. The Gators will return for practice Dec. 26 and next play Dec. 30 at Florida State (6-5), which defeated South Florida 75-62 in the matinee Orange Bowl Classic game Saturday.
