GAINESVILLE — KeVaughn Allen christened his new home by torching his old one.
In front of a sold-out crowd at the newly renovated O’Connell Center, the Little Rock, Arkansas, native scored 13 straight points in a four-minute frenzy in UF’s 94-71 over the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (9-4) on Wednesday.
Allen finished the game with 19, going 5-7 from three and said he didn’t mind making his friends back home upset.
“I did what I had to do,” said the sophomore guard, who hit three straight threes in the first half.
“When I hit the third one, I just set my feet and knocked it down in confidence,” he said. “I felt pretty good.”
Florida (9-3) forward Devin Robinson went for a career-high 21 points, making 4-of-5 from three. He heard the crowd erupt when he made his first shot.
“It was insane,” the junior said. “I felt like I was home again.”
And while the new arena was cause for celebration, UF coach Mike White stressed not getting distracted by the atmosphere.
“We kept talking to our guys about not allowing it to be a party,” White said. “This isn’t a party. Let our fans party.”
The fans saw shot after shot fall for Florida as the Gators lit it up from the field, shooting 59.6 percent and 51.6 percent from three.
“They were gonna make us make some jump shots,” White said. “Obviously, we made them.”
Despite coming into the game shooting under 16% from three, even senior point guard Kasey Hill swished his first shot from beyond the arc, part of a 9-0 UF run after the opening tip.
Hill also notched a career-high 11 assists and notched Florida’s first double-double with assists since Scottie Wilbekin in 2013.
White said it was the best 40 minutes of offense he’s seen since he came to UF.
“I thought our guys played really aggressive and they played really confidently” White said. “I think the environment led to that.”
With starting center John Egbunu sidelined due to a hamstring injury, forward Kevarrius Hayes stepped in to start for the second game in a row. After winning the opening tip, he scored the first points on the new court with a rim-rattling two-handed slam.
“The energy is just the same because you can feel the crowd,” Hayes said. “(But) everything feels brand new.”
Hayes had a career-high eight rebounds and finished just one bucket short of a career high in scoring with 12 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.
Even with the 23-point win to usher in the new arena, White said there are still concerns to address.
“When you shoot the ball that well, you get away with some mistakes.”
Florida’s defense allowed UALR to shoot over 50 percent from the field in the second period.
“Credit little rock in the second half,” White said. “They did a good job of finishing through contact.”
Robinson acknowledged UF can still improve defensively before Southeastern Conference play starts on Dec. 29.
“We’re pretty ready,” he said. “We still have some stuff we need to improve, defensive rebounding to be exact.”
White said the team will take some time off for the holidays and return on Dec. 26 to prepare for Arkansas three days later.
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
KeVaughn Allen dunks during Florida's 94-71 win over the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at the O'Connell Center on Dec. 21, 2016.
