No one stood between the basket and Mississippi State’s scorers.
In the first eight minutes of the game — the Gators’ first game since their starting center tore his ACL — the Bulldogs built a 13-7 lead.
Without UF rim-protector John Egbunu, the Bulldogs scored 10 of their first 13 points in the paint.
Flashes of offense sustained Florida in the first half, but UF’s defense needed someone to step in front of the hoop and make the Bulldogs’ work for their points.
In the second half, Kevarrius Hayes decided to be that person.
Hayes, starting in place of Egbunu, led Florida’s defense as No. 15 UF beat Mississippi State 57-52 in Starkville on Saturday.
Hayes pulled in a career-high 10 rebounds and came up with a last-minute block to preserve UF’s two-point edge, giving the Gators (22-5, 12-2 SEC) their eighth win in a row.
“Thanks to him we were able to hold onto the lead at the end,” point guard Chris Chiozza said.
Chiozza led Florida’s offense with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
UF coach Mike White said Chiozza’s shot has improved significantly since the start of the season.
“It was certainly needed today in a game where we struggled to score,” White said.
Florida’s offense sputtered at the start of the game with eight turnovers in the first 15 minutes.
“They did a good job of playing the passing lanes and making us turn the ball over,” Chiozza said.
A 14-5 run put Florida up eight points to end the first half. And the Gators stretched that lead to 12 in the second.
White said shooting guard KeVaughn Allen, who scored 11 in the first half, helped serve as a distraction in the second half, so players like Canyon Barry and Kasey Hill could get open.
But Florida’s lead wouldn’t last.
Mississippi State (14-12, 5-9 SEC) chipped away at UF’s advantage as the second half played out. A 12-point UF lead became a 7-point lead, and then a 2-point lead, and with under two and a half minutes remaining, a Mississippi State dunk tied the game at 52-52.
Mike White put Kevarrius Hayes, who was in foul trouble, back in the game.
Hayes hit a jumper to put UF up 54-52.
Mississippi had a chance to tie with 30 seconds left, but Hayes swatted the shot for his fourth block of the game.
“He was flying around playing with crazy energy,” White said.
Behind two 10-rebound performances from Hayes and forward Devin Robinson, the Gators made up for the absence of their leading rebounder, beating Mississippi State 42-38 on the boards.
UF had 21 wins on the season last year and earned its 22nd of the year on Saturday. UF has four more chances to add to its win total as it sits in first place in the SEC.
“Make a good lil four-game run right here and try to keep our spot at the top,” Chiozza said.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Follow Matt Brannon on Twitter @MattB_727 or contact him at mbrannon@alligator.org.
Kevarrius Hayes (13) plays defense in UF's 71-62 win against Texas A&M on Feb. 11 in the O'Connell Center.
