Florida 86, Stetson 40
Sunday, December 6, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 86, STETSON 40
FLORIDA 86, STETSON 40
WHAT HAPPENED: Junior forward Keyontae Johnson led the Gators with 19 points and sophomore wing Scottie Lewis had his second career double-double, but the story of Sunday's 2020-21 home opener was the Gators' defense. Or the Hatters' offense. Take your pick. UF limited Stetson to just 19.6-percent shooting from the floor, including just three baskets on 25 first-half shots (11.5 percent) on the way to opening a fat lead, coasting home and remaining unbeaten through three games. Johnson scored 13 of his 19 in the first half. Lewis had a stat-stuffing line of 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Junior shooting guard Noah Locke had 15 points, hitting five of his six 3-point attempts, including three straight during a stretch of two second-half minutes, and sophomore point guard Tre Mann finished with 10 points for his third double-figure scoring game. To say both teams were off their offensives game from the start would be both accurate and an understatement, especially relative to the Hatters. Stetson guard Chase Johnston buried a 3-pointer ust 44 seconds into the game to give the Hatters a 4-3 lead. They hit two field goals the rest of the half on the way to going 3-for-25 from the floor (that's 11.5 percent), including one of 10 from distance. Florida was better, but only to the tune of 37.5 percent in opening a 34-15 advantage at the break, despite missing 10 of its last 11 shots of the period. That's because Stetson missed 13 of its last 14. The Gators eventually opened a 30-point lead early in the second half that swelled to as high as 47. UF ended up shooting 45.2 percent for the game and forced 23 turnovers that were converted to 24 points.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Locke came into the game having made just seven of his 20 field-goal attempts this season and only three of 10 from distance after leading the Southeastern Conference at 48.1 percent from deep in league play in '19-20. The Gators are not a great shooting team, so they need their best long-distance sniper to find his groove. Going 5-for-6, even against a badly out-manned foe, was good to see.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Hard to get much more "staggering" than 3-for-25 from the floor. The Hatters, who opened their season with a loss to Division II Emmanuel College, made two field goals over the last 12-plus minutes of the first half. There was a 17-minute stretch bridging the two halves when Stetson made just one basket.
UP NEXT: Florida (3-0) is next scheduled to play Saturday at rival and No. 22 Florida State (1-0), which opened its season Friday by smashing North Florida 86-58. The Seminoles, who have won six straight over the Gators, have a mid-week home game Wednesday against Indiana. UF, meanwhile, is looking to add a mid-week opponent, as well, after losing a couple games to COVID cancellations.
Players Mentioned
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