Playing its fourth game in six days and one game after Thanksgiving, Florida might’ve been feeling the ill effects of the workload during the first half against Florida Gulf Coast.
The Gators’ first half shooting performance against the Eagles was woeful as they shot just 29.7 percent from the field on 11-of-37 shots before FGCU went into the half with a 33-32 lead.
But after a locker room speech in which coach Mike White expressed his disappointment on both ends of the floor, the Gators came out and were more efficient on offense shooting 44.1 percent from the field and turning the Eagles over 12 times, to pull away and win 70-50.
“We raised our voices a little bit, but our guys did too with each other” White said of what happened in the locker room at halftime. “They’ve embraced taking ownership to a certain extent and you gotta take more and more ownership.”
It was an uneventful first half for the Gators (6-1) with only Dorian Finney-Smith contributing on the offensive end as he had 14 points. White said his team had costly turnovers that led easy points for FGCU, including Zach Johnson’s steal and dunk over KeVaughn Allen to give the Eagles a 29-25 lead.
The second half was a much different story for the Gators.
Florida’s press defense forced FGCU (3-3) into 12 turnovers that led to 18 points. And John Egbunu made his presence felt as he finished the game with his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds while also chipping in on the defensive end with four blocks.
“In the second half, I thought we came out and played arguably our best half of defensive basketball which is what you’re looking for,” White said. “If you’re trying to max out as a team, that’s what you need for 40 minutes night in and night out.”
Added Eagles coach Joe Dooley: “I thought Florida played very well in the second half. Dorian Finney-Smith is a terrific player and Egbunu was a factor protecting the rim.”
Finney-Smith led the Gators with a season-high 23 points, but other than the redshirt senior and Egbunu, the rest of the team carried over its struggles shooting the ball from the first half, especially the backcourt.
The backcourt combination of Kasey Hill, Chris Chiozza and Allen combined to shoot 5-of-25 from the field.
“(They’re) just struggling to shoot the basketball,” White said of the backcourt. “We all need to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out how we can help each guy … struggled again from three. We’ve got been in the gym more, we’ve got to figure it out.”
With all the minutes logged on the court in the past week, when asked if his team will have a day off tomorrow before getting prepared for its matchup against Richmond on Dec. 1, White said: “No. Giving our guys a day off and that helping them shoot, that’s not an answer. That’s not going to happen.”
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UF center John Egbunu goes up for a dunk during Florida's 89-42 win against Palm Beach Atlantic in an exhibition game on Nov. 5, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
