Gators Too Big for Bears

Sunday, November 13

Jacksonville, FL

8 PM

Florida Gators

Mercer

Senior forward Justin Leon led the Gators with a career-high 17 points.

Monday, November 14, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

Box Score

All 12 UF players got into the scoring column, but the story of the game was UF's defense and rebounding.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Rare are the occasions when a team can shoot 33 percent in a half and still be dominating the game. But Mercer coach Bob Hoffman knew exactly why it happened Sunday night against the Florida Gators as he watched his players score just 14 points in the first half.

"We knew they were long and athletic, but once you get on the floor with them you see it at a much different level. That length caused us all kinds of problems in the first half," Hoffman said. "They were running, hitting trampolines and jumping over us."

They certainly weren't scoring well off of those bounces, but what UF did on both the defensive end and on the glass proved plenty for the Gators to post a 76-54 victory despite shooting just 36.1 percent at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

Forward Justin Leon scored a career-high 17 points, hitting six of his 10 shots from the floor and three of five from the 3-point line to go with five rebounds. Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen had a shaky night shooting the ball (3-for-12), but he filled the stat sheet with 13 points, three rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a couple steals. Junior forward Devin Robinson had 12 points and nine boards, as the Gators (2-0) checked out of their three-night stay in downtown Jacksonville with a couple wins to start this on-the-go non-conference schedule.

And a defensive tone to take with them.

"We're not an offensive team at all," Robinson said. "Were not going to come out and try to outscore you. We're going to hang our hats on defense and let that turn to offense."

Florida did some of that, forcing 17 turnovers by the Bears (1-1) and turning them into 22 points. Where the Gators really dominated, though, was on the boards, with a 47-32 overall edge and a 20-10 advantage on the offensive glass that led to 24 second-chance points. Both Robinson and 6-foot-11, 255-pound center John Egbunu got four offensive rebounds. Leon added three more.

"We've got good size, good length and good depth," UF coach Mike White said. "It's funny. You get 76 [points] against a very good and sound defensive program, while shooting 36 percent. It's the points off turnovers and getting offensive rebounds."

Free throws, too. Remember how frustrating it's been the last few seasons watching the Gators at the line? Well, through two games, Florida has knocked down 44 of 56 free throws for 78.6 percent.

"Hopefully, it's a season-long trend," White said with a smile.

There were smiles all around, actually, after all 12 UF players who made the trip got in the scoring column, including career-first points for redshirt freshman Keith Stone and a couple free throws each from true freshman Eric Hester and Gorjok Gak.

"It feels good when everybody gets to pick off the tree," Leon said.

UF led 18-12 and was shooting a lowly 29 percent from the floor through nearly 15 minutes when a couple free throws by Leon started a run. On three straight trips, the Gators came away with three points, with 3s by Robinson and fifth-year senior swingman Canyon Barry sandwiched around an old-fashioned 3-point play by senior point guard Kasey Hill.

The defensive stops continued and were rewarded with two free throws for Barry (7 points, 4 rebounds), another conventional 3-point play by Robinson and then -- after White called a timeout with a half-second left in the first half to call an underneath-out-of-bounds play -- a perfect lob pass from Allen to Kevarrius Hayes, who dropped it through at the horn.

The play (and flurry) capped an 18-2 run and sent the Gators to the locker room up 36-14, even though they made only 11 of 33 shots.

The numbers weren't much better in the second half (11 for 28). The defense wasn't as sound, either, with Mercer guard Ria'n Hollard scoring 15 of his game-high 21 after the break. And yet, the the closest the Bears got was within 15.

"I was just a little disappointed in the inability to maintain our defensive edge … and you don't want those bad habits creeping in," White said. "The last 15 minutes of the first half, we were on it defensively. If we're going to be a really good team — and we have the potential to be — we have to do that for 40 minutes."