Florida was playing in the Orange Bowl Classic for the 10th straight year.
At the Buzzer (Instant Analysis)
Saturday, December 19, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
SCORE SCORE
WHAT HAPPENED: The Gators led by 10 with less than seven minutes remaining, but had to fend off a frantic rally by the Cowboys before putting away a victory in the Orange Bowl Classic at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds to pace his team and take MVP honors for the event. Sophomore forward Devin Robinson pitched in 13 points and six boards, while point guard Chris Chiozza, making his second straight start, had 11 points and four steals, including two in a 9-0 run that helped his team build the double-digit lead. Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen provided a nice lift off the bench, shaking free of a recent slump with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor. OSU got a game-high 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists from guard Juwan Evans.
WHAT IT MEANS: Time will tell just where this OSU team fits into the Big 12 Conferece mix, but UF has a win over a name opponent from a top league -- on a so-called neutral court -- after dropping games against ranked foes Purdue, Miami and Michigan State. The Gators won their game in the event for the 15th time in 17 trips and for the sixth year in a row.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Senior forward Alex Murphy made his season debut after being sidelined for six weeks with a plantar fascia tear suffered in UF's Nov. 5 exhibition game against Palm Beach Atlantic. Murphy checked in at the 16:01 mark of the first half and hit his first two shots. The 6-foot-8 forward drove the lane and rolled into a contested layup and later ended a possession on the baseline with a high, arcing shot as the shot clock expired. He finished with those four points in just eight minutes.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida survived a 12-for-26 performance from the free-throw line (46.2 percent), including 2-for-9 from center John Egbunu (10 points, 3 rebounds), who came into the game making 76.7 percent from the stripe. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State went 16-for-22 from the line (72.7 percent) and made free throws down the stretch to make the game dicey late. UF started the day at just 64.1 percent as a team, the worst among the Southeastern Conference's 14 teams, and exited at 61.9 percent for the season.
UP NEXT: The Gators (7-3) return home for one final game for Christmas break, with Jacksonville (4-7) coming Tuesday night to the O'Connell Center at 7 p.m. In a strange scheduling quirk, the Dolphins actually play a game Monday, a home date against Florida A&M. The UF-JU game will be available on-line only on SEC Network +.
SCORE SCORE
WHAT HAPPENED: The Gators led by 10 with less than seven minutes remaining, but had to fend off a frantic rally by the Cowboys before putting away a victory in the Orange Bowl Classic at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds to pace his team and take MVP honors for the event. Sophomore forward Devin Robinson pitched in 13 points and six boards, while point guard Chris Chiozza, making his second straight start, had 11 points and four steals, including two in a 9-0 run that helped his team build the double-digit lead. Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen provided a nice lift off the bench, shaking free of a recent slump with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor. OSU got a game-high 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists from guard Juwan Evans.
WHAT IT MEANS: Time will tell just where this OSU team fits into the Big 12 Conferece mix, but UF has a win over a name opponent from a top league -- on a so-called neutral court -- after dropping games against ranked foes Purdue, Miami and Michigan State. The Gators won their game in the event for the 15th time in 17 trips and for the sixth year in a row.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Senior forward Alex Murphy made his season debut after being sidelined for six weeks with a plantar fascia tear suffered in UF's Nov. 5 exhibition game against Palm Beach Atlantic. Murphy checked in at the 16:01 mark of the first half and hit his first two shots. The 6-foot-8 forward drove the lane and rolled into a contested layup and later ended a possession on the baseline with a high, arcing shot as the shot clock expired. He finished with those four points in just eight minutes.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida survived a 12-for-26 performance from the free-throw line (46.2 percent), including 2-for-9 from center John Egbunu (10 points, 3 rebounds), who came into the game making 76.7 percent from the stripe. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State went 16-for-22 from the line (72.7 percent) and made free throws down the stretch to make the game dicey late. UF started the day at just 64.1 percent as a team, the worst among the Southeastern Conference's 14 teams, and exited at 61.9 percent for the season.
UP NEXT: The Gators (7-3) return home for one final game for Christmas break, with Jacksonville (4-7) coming Tuesday night to the O'Connell Center at 7 p.m. In a strange scheduling quirk, the Dolphins actually play a game Monday, a home date against Florida A&M. The UF-JU game will be available on-line only on SEC Network +.
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