SUNRISE – Before facing Air Force, Kenny Boynton found himself in one of the worst shooting slumps of his college career.
The senior guard finally regained his stroke Saturday afternoon.
Boynton scored 14 points – 11 coming in the second half – and made 3 of 7 three-pointers as No. 14 Florida (9-2) cruised past Air Force in a 78-61 victory in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at the BB&T Center.
“It felt good to come out and play a good all-around game,” Boynton said. “I just tried to take open [shots].”
Boynton finished 4-for-10 shooting against the Falcons. In the last five games prior to Saturday, Boynton went 12-for-51 shooting and was 4 of 32 from behind the arc.
“When he’s having a tough time shooting the basketball, the best thing he can do is take good, available shots,” coach Billy Donovan said. “In the second half, we found him, and he was able to put the ball in the basket.”
Forward Erik Murphy finished with a team-high 21 points while making eight of his 10 shots. The senior exerted his will down low by notching seven rebounds and three blocks.
“If they switched on me, I tried to take advantage of the mismatch in the post,” Murphy said. “I just felt like sometimes in the post I was open, because there were smaller guys on me.”
The Falcons struck the Gators early with a barrage of three-pointers. Air Force, the No. 7 three-point shooting team in the country, made 6 of 13 threes in the first half but only attempted seven shots from behind the arc in the second half.
“We knew coming in they’re a good shooting team,” Murphy said. “At halftime, coach just said we have to guard the three-point line better. … He just emphasized we had to shut down the three-point line, and we did a better job at that second half.”
Boynton made four plays during a key stretch for the Gators early in the second period. With Florida only leading by three points, the senior drilled two three-pointers in a two-minute span and found junior forward Casey Prather for two easy scores to put UF up 47-40.
The Gators didn’t let up as they led the Falcons (8-3) by at least seven throughout the remainder of the contest.
Florida shot 69.6 percent in the second period against Air Force’s matchup zone defense after tallying 12 of 29 shots in the first half.
UF has only a road matchup on Jan. 6 against Yale (4-8) left on its non-conference schedule before it begins Southeastern Conference play on Jan. 9.
Senior guard Kenny Boynton drives to the basket during Florida's 78-61 victory against Air Force at the Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla. Boynton shook off recent shooting troubles en route to a 14-point performance.
Coach Billy Donovan smiles during Florida's 78-61 victory against Air Force at the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 29 in Sunrise, Fla. Donovan defended the Southeastern Conference's struggles earlier this week.
Forward Erik Murphy works in the paint during Florida's 78-61 victory against Air Force at the Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla. Murphy led the Gators with 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
