Florida has smothered its Southeastern Conference opponents this season, but delivered its biggest trouncing against South Carolina.
The No. 4 Gators (17-2, 7-0 SEC) held the Gamecocks to 31.1 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers en route to a 75-36 victory on Wednesday night in the O’Connell Center.
The 39-point win is UF’s largest margin of victory in SEC play. South Carolina’s 36 points are the second-fewest Florida has allowed this season.
“Every time they tried to run a play, we kind of beat them to the step,” senior guard Kenny Boynton said. “We beat them to a spot, and that kind of messed up their plays. They didn’t know what to do.”
The Gators held the Gamecocks (12-8, 2-5 SEC) to 3-of-21 shooting in the first half. Florida’s full-court press shook South Carolina early, committing nine turnovers in the first 10 minutes. Overall, UF scored 22 points off of turnovers.
“We did a good job of when the ball came inbounds waiting and being patient,” coach Billy Donovan said. “When the ball probably got right above the top-of-the-key area, we were able to kind of trap, rotate and take away the next available pass.”
Mike Rosario and Boynton each finished with 15 points on a combined 11-of-22 shooting. Boynton tallied a season-best seven assists.
Freshman guard Michael Frazier II added 12 points, burying 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.
After shooting 2 of 6 from the field during the first 5 minutes, the Gators went on a 16-4 run to increase their advantage to 21-4 with 10:12 remaining in the first half.
Florida’s most dynamic defensive play came from junior center Patric Young with 1:45 remaining in the first half. As South Carolina’s Eric Smith drove into the lane for a layup attempt, Young swatted the ball off the backboard.
Young’s rejection led to a fastbreak dunk by Rosario on the other end. The redshirt senior was called for a technical foul after the play for hanging on the rim.
“If I were to let go at that moment, I would have slipped and hurt myself,” Rosario said. “The ref told me on the second swing, he had to give me a technical foul. I was like, ‘OK. Just know that I have [Donovan] on my butt now.’”
The Gators entered halftime with a 33-10 lead and opened the second half on a 13-3 run.
Florida shot 52.8 percent from the field and boasted a 12-of-21 clip from three-point range. UF made only 7 of 16 free throws and did not attempt a shot from the charity stripe in the second half.
Against the Gamecocks, the fourth-best offensive rebounding team in the conference entering Wednesday, the Gators won the rebounding battle 38-24. Florida grabbed 11 offensive boards to South Carolina’s six.
Junior forward Casey Prather returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a high left ankle sprain during the first half of UF’s 74-52 win against LSU on Jan. 12. Prather checked into the game with 11:39 remaining. In 3 minutes, he pulled down two boards and scored two points.
After a perfect January, the Gators are riding a nine-game winning streak heading into a matchup against No. 16 Ole Miss (17-3, 6-1 SEC) on Saturday night in the O’Connell Center.
“The more you win like this, the more you show (what) you’re capable of,” Donovan said.
“You have to understand that the No. 1 priority is getting better. … All of this other stuff doesn’t mean anything.”
Senior guard Kenny Boynton (1) walks off the court during Florida’s 75-36 victory against South Carolina on Wednesday night in the O’Connell Center. The Gators are the last remaining unbeaten team in Southeastern Conference play.
