GAINESVILLE, Fla. — They took huge strides on the road last week, especially defensively, but the challenge for the Florida Gators was to bring home the progress they made at Texas A&M and Missouri, and roll it out Wednesday night for the folks at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Could the Gators do that? Would they?
Yes on both accounts.
Graduate-transfer
Egor Koulechov scored 23 points to lead four teammates into double figures, as UF dispatched of Mississippi State 71-54 to remain unbeaten in Southeastern Conference play and atop the early league standings. Koulechov rained in his team's first 13 points, connected on four of his five 3-point attempts, and also grabbed eight rebounds to pace the Gators (12-4, 4-0) to a season-best sixth straight victory.
The Bulldogs (13-3, 1-2) came in scoring 76.7 points per game and shooting 47.3 percent as a team, but left the O'Dome nearly 17 points beneath that average (their second-lowest output of the season) after making only 40 percent from the floor. They also had their bigger front line outplayed and out-rebounded on both ends and were forced into 16 turnovers by the UF defense.
"We had to bring back the road mentality," senior point guard
Chris Chiozza said. "Even though we were at home."
It wasn't an overwhelming or dominant effort for the home team, but a six-minute second-half stretch, when the Gators forced MSU to miss nine of 10 shots and forced four turnovers, broke the game open. That was enough.
"It shows growth," junior center
Kevarrius Hayes said. "This is what we're capable of, home or away. We can produce the same energy. We need to keep this going and carry it out as far as we can."
Point guard Chris Chiozza started the week with strep throat, but despite missing two days of practice still scored 10 points, dished seven assists and carded three steals.
Hayes was a key provider of that energy. He only scored six points, but he grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots and came away with two steals. Sophomore power forward
Keith Stone had 10 points and equaled his career high of eight rebounds. Both players had four offensive boards, as UF out-rebounded MSU 38-31, and furthered the process of UF's developing front court. Bulldogs 6-foot-10 forward Abdul Ado led his team with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but 6-11 wingman Aric Holman (7 points, 4 rebounds in 16 minutes) was in foul trouble all night.
"We're a lot scrappier than we were a month ago; and especially [more than] two months ago," UF coach
Mike White said. "It's hit or miss at times, but we're starting to be more consistent."
Junior guard
Jalen Hudson did not shoot the ball well (just 1-for-7 from deep), but still reached 12 points by knocking down all five of his free throws. Chiozza, who missed the last two days of practice with strep throat, came off the bench, started slowly, but finished with 10 points, seven assists and three steals over 28 minutes, and had a key highlight sequence in the second half to help surge the Gators to a 17-point lead.
"He just makes big plays for this team," White said of Chiozza, who made a pretty big one Saturday at Missouri. "He's playing with a really high level of confidence on both ends. He's the epitome of leading by example. He's not the most vocal guy, but to give it every ounce of energy when teammates know you're feeling like crap — and you're [still] playing well — you add a boost to the rest of your team."
The night's initial boost, though, came from Koulechov. "3gor," as he's known to the Rowdy Reptiles, single-handedly staked the Gators to an early 13-12 lead when he dropped in their first five field goals, capped by three straight 3-pointers. Florida never trailed again.
"As a team, we're really confident," said Koulechov, who after going through a brutal eight-game cold spell in non-league play is shooting 65 percent from the arc (13-for-20) in four SEC games. "We're not going to let it get to our heads, because we learned from what happened in December."
UF led MSU by as many as 10 in the first half, but the Bulldogs made it a five-point game at halftime and chipped the margin to as few as three, 38-35, early in the second half.
Egor Koulechov hit nine of his 13 shots, plus four of his five attempts from the 3-point line.
Then Chiozza, who missed his first six shots, nailed a 3-pointer. And then, after a stop on the ensuing possession, he walked the ball up the floor, noticed his defender sagging back a tad, then jacked another one from the top of the key, made it, got fouled and stroked the free-throw for a four-point play that pushed the Gators back up by 10.
"He's just so patient," Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said of Chiozza. "He is just so smart, so tough, so clever, so savvy."
So good.
"Nothing he does surprises me anymore," Koulechov said.
Chiozza's solo 7-0 run started a larger 19-5 spree, much of it keyed by activity on the defensive end that helped open a 17-point advantage with just over seven minutes to go. The last five points came on a transition 3 from Koulechov, then a run-out dunk by Koulechov after a steal in the half court.
"It didn't matter who was in the game, we decided to put our hard hats on and sit down and guard," Hudson said. "That was the mentality going into the game."
And needs to be for the next one. And beyond. No matter the venue.
