Vernon Macklin entered Tuesday’s game with serious questions about the status of his injured right knee, and for 20 minutes it looked like those concerns might be justified.
But then the senior center exploded for nine second-half rebounds, propelling No. 16 Florida (4-1) to a 79-66 victory over Florida Atlantic (3-3) in the O’Connell Center.
“I thought Vernon did a pretty good job for us,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Vernon rebounded the ball much better in the second half. He did some very, very good things for us.”
Of Macklin’s 11 rebounds — a new career high — six came on the offensive end.
The senior also chipped in five points and all of the team’s three blocks amidst speculation that he would be deactivated following the game due to lingering tendonitis in his right knee.
Macklin said he doesn’t plan to miss any games because resting in practice and limiting his minutes would likely bring about the same result.
“I rest enough,” Macklin said. “I play like 21 minutes a game. I rest in practice and I do treatment, so it’s about the same thing.”
For the game, UF grabbed 18 offensive boards en route to a 45-30 advantage on the glass and an 18-4 edge in second-chance points.
Florida’s interior dominance led to a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint.
“Rebounding is a big part of the game,” senior Alex Tyus said. “We just tried to rebound well and go to the glass on offense.”
Twelve of Florida’s points in the paint came from Tyus, who scored 19 in the game.
He also added seven rebounds and an assist in just 25 minutes of play.
Sophomore Kenny Boynton led the Gators in scoring, recording 21 points despite shooting just 2 of 7 from behind the arc.
To compensate for these struggles, Boynton started taking the ball inside. He was able to score on a variety of lay-ups and floaters or get to the line and knock down some free throws.
“I was talking to coach Donovan earlier today and he told me when my outside shot is not falling he doesn’t want me to get down,” Boynton said. “So basically when my shot wasn’t falling I just kept playing.”
Tuesday’s game was a reversal from Florida’s normal style of play this year, as the Gators struggled in the first 20 minutes before turning it on in the second half.
UF took a two-point lead into break and then outscored the Owls 45-34 down the stretch after watching their second-half production dip in three of their first four games.
A lot of that had to do with some new things Florida Atlantic did on offense that Tyus and Macklin weren’t prepared for.
At halftime, Donovan and his team made the necessary changes, which allowed them to extend the lead down the stretch.
“(FAU) made some adjustments and tweaks inside their offense that kind of exploited the way we were guarding, and it really put Alex and Vernon in a tough spot,” Donovan said. “Alex and Vernon really adjusted very, very well in the second half.”
