After a sluggish first half filled with missed shots, free throws and defensive assignments, Florida picked up the slack against Arkansas Little-Rock in the second half.
Senior forward Casey Prather led the way with 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting as the No. 11 Gators (2-1) outscored the Trojans (0-2) by 30 points in the second half to win 86-56 on Saturday in the O’Connell Center.
“My teammates did a great job of trying to find me easy buckets,” Prather said. “I was just trying to be as aggressive as I can.”
In his first game for Florida, Dorian Finney-Smith recorded 17 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes. The redshirt sophomore forward was originally doubtful for Saturday’s game with an illness but felt good enough to play. He had missed Florida’s first two games due to suspension.
Offensively, Florida struggled during the first half. UF shot 41.7 percent and 1-of-6 from behind the arc, and it was also out-rebounded by UALR 22-15. The Gators also went 6 of 14 from the charity stripe in the first half.
“I thought in the first half, we got really stagnant,” coach Billy Donovan said. “We got the ball stopped too much. Stopped in everybody’s hands. We’re trying to force-feed the post.”
At halftime, both teams stood tied at 27. Then, Florida woke up.
The Gators used a 33-16 run over 11:11 to reach a 60-43 lead with 8:49. The run was capped off by a two-handed Prather dunk in the lane, after forward DeVon Walker stole an inbounds pass and found him open.
After a rocky game against Wisconsin, freshman point guard Kasey Hill scored 14 points and notched six assists. Senior center Patric Young scored 10 points and grabbed eight boards.
Florida’s next game is Monday at 7 p.m. against Southern in the O’Connell Center.
Redshirt a possibility for Carter: Working his way back from a broken leg he suffered in February, guard Eli Carter has seen a limited role this year for the Gators. His role was especially limited Saturday, with zero points coming in six minutes on the court.
After the game, Donovan hinted at the possibility of Carter applying for a medical redshirt. If Carter were to redshirt, he would have to do so before the first third of the season is played. It would have to be a mutual decision between him and the training staff.
Donovan said Carter, who has labored when on the court, wants to try and play back from the injury.
“He’s a really, really good player that’s very, very hobbled right now,” Donovan said. “I don’t want him to just have to wasting a year playing on one leg.”
Graham out: For the second straight game, Dillon Graham (ankle, hips) did not see the floor. Donovan revealed postgame that Graham has bone spurs in his hips and is out indefinitely.
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick.
Redshirt sophomore forward Dorian Finney-Smith goes up for a dunk during No. 11 Florida's 86-56 win against Arkansas Little-Rock on Saturday in the O'Connell Center.
