In Florida’s first real test of the season, the team proved what it is capable of.
UF strung together a dominant first half and kept Florida State at bay after intermission en route to a 68-52 win in the O’Connell Center on Tuesday night after dropping its last three matchups with the Seminoles.
The Gators (4-0) dominated before the break, taking a 39-19 lead into the locker room due in large part to their impressive defense. FSU (3-1) had 16 first-half turnovers to just three assists, and UF went on a 33-9 run in the last 13 minutes of the period.
But the Seminoles fought back early in the second half, cutting the Gators’ lead to five points eight minutes after the break.
“There was a stretch there in the second half that reminded me of last year,” Donovan said. “I saw some flashbacks during the game, but for the most part, we’ve gotten better in those areas.”
With 11:15 left in the game the Seminoles lost their momentum when senior forward Dan Werner drew a charge on FSU’s Ryan Reid, halting the Seminoles’ 19-4 run and swinging the game back in Florida’s favor for good.
“During the half, I was telling everyone they’re a good team and they’re gonna come back,” said Werner, who also hit two 3-pointers and led the team with four assists. “It was all about how we responded to that. But we responded the right way.”
As important as the win was in proving how far the Gators have come this season, sophomore point guard Erving Walker noted after the game how critical a nonconference win against a quality opponent will be in boosting the team’s chances of returning to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s a big win. I say it’s a big win for us not because it’s FSU, but because they’re a good team,” Walker said. “That’s a good win for our résumé, and it should come in and help us down the line at the end of the season.”
The Gators also proved in the first half they are capable of beating teams even without freshman guard Kenny Boynton lighting up the scoreboard.
Donovan said FSU went out of its way to contain Boynton in the first half, and UF’s leading scorer was scoreless at halftime, but the rest of Florida’s players stepped up to fill the void.
Sophomore guard Ray Shipman and junior power forward Alex Tyus each scored eight, and the Gators’ defense took care of the rest, forcing 16 first-half turnovers and keeping the Seminoles to just 8-of-22 shooting. Boynton did come alive in the second half, however, scoring 13 points to tie the team lead.
“It just shows how good of an all-around team we are,” junior forward Chandler Parsons said. “There’s gonna be games like that for Kenny, but he fought through it, didn’t let it get in his head. It’s not like he was frustrated he wasn’t scoring, because we were up 20.”
The one thing the win didn’t prove, Donovan said, is whether or not Florida is ready for its toughest opponent of the season. UF faces No. 2 Michigan State (4-0) in Atlantic City, N.J., on Friday.
“How we handle a Michigan State, how we handle some of the things that are going to come our way — we’ll wait and see,” Donovan said.
