When Florida’s already-depleted frontcourt got a little bit thinner, Erik Murphy stepped up to fill the void.
Murphy helped make up for junior center Vernon Macklin, who played only 14 minutes due to stomach cramps, by recording his first career double-double by scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as UF (10-3) routed Presbyterian (2-12) 79-38 in the O’Connell Center on Wednesday night.
“(Macklin) just didn’t have his normal energy and bounce,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “He said to me in the second half after I took him out after he started the second half, ‘Coach, if you need me, I’ll play, but I really don’t feel that good.’
“We had a comfortable lead, and Erik was playing well.”
The freshman forward bounced back from a left shoulder injury that limited him to just nine minutes over the last three games to provide 23 valuable minutes with Macklin feeling ill and backup center Kenny Kadji suffering from a herniated disc in his lower back.
“He really gave us a great boost with the fact that Kadji’s out, Vernon wasn’t there,” Donovan said. “We really needed him tonight, and he played very well.”
Murphy’s versatility was on full display as he shot 7 of 11 and hit everything from face-up jumpers to reverse layups.
“Our guards just penetrated and found me,” Murphy said. “I was just trying to get open along the baseline, and they penetrated, got by their defender and found me. It was easy for me.”
The Gators had their way with the outsized Blue Hose down low, scoring 46 points in the paint and outrebounding their opponent 51-29.
It was the perfect chance for Murphy and the rest of the Gators to build back their confidence following a shaky middle of the month, including three straight losses.
“It means a lot. It probably gave (Murphy) a lot of confidence going into the next few games – big games,” said junior power forward Alex Tyus, who recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in just 20 minutes. “Whenever some of the starters come out of the game, he’ll be confident that he can come in and produce, and we have confidence in him, too. It wasn’t really a surprise tonight.”
The Blue Hose were clearly outmatched from the opening tip, as Florida held Presbyterian to just one point for more than five minutes, jumping out to a 13-1 lead early on and never looking back.
Florida gave up just 14 points in the first half, the fewest points allowed in one half by UF since Nov. 28, 2006, when Southern scored only 11. Presbyterian’s 38 points also marked a season low for the Gators and the lowest scoring output from an opponent since Southern in 2006 (27 points).
With a comfortable lead throughout the game, Donovan was able to clear his bench at the end of the second half, putting in junior walk-on Hudson Fricke and freshman guard Rod Tishman, who scored two points and brought the crowd to life with an impressive behind-the-back pass to Murphy for an easy dunk.
Walk-on sophomore guard Kyle McClanahan saw substantial playing time for the second straight game, scoring one point and grabbing two rebounds in 22 minutes, with guard Ray Shipman still dealing with the lingering effects of a patella subluxation.
“Those guys work just as hard as we do every day in practice, especially Kyle – that guy, Kyle’s great,” said junior forward Chandler Parsons, who scored a team-high 21 points. “The fact that he’s getting a chance to play right now, it really makes me happy.
“It’s gonna take everybody for us to be good this year, and they stepped up tonight.”
Florida’s next game is Jan. 3 in Raleigh, N.C., where the Gators will take on NC State. Donovan said Kadji will not play against the Wolfpack, Shipman is questionable and Macklin’s status will not be decided until he visits a doctor.
