With 5:49 remaining in the first half and the score tied at 31 against Rutgers, UF coach Billy Donovan called a timeout and forced the Gators to forget how young they really are.
BDuring the huddle, [Donovan] said we can?t go bucket for bucket with them,C freshman guard Jai Lucas said. BWe have to get stops if we want to win the game. Our defensive passion really sparked our offense and we never looked back.C
Coming out of the stoppage, the youthful Gators squad exploded on a 17-2 run. UF (4-0) led 48-33 at the half, and finished with a comfortable 88-63 win against Rutgers (3-1) in the Gators? first true test of the season.
BIt?s hard to explain,C Lucas said of the run. BIt?s a feeling where you almost get chills. You might get tired, but once you get into that you don?t feel anything anymore.C
UF continued its efficient shooting in the contest, hitting 50 percent from the field.
The difference in the game, however, came from beyond the 3-point line, where the Gators knocked down 11 of their 26 attempts.
BI think the really big reason there was such a differential in the score was that we made seven more threes than they did,C Donovan said. BThat was a really big part of the lead being like it was.C
The undersized Gators received a significant contribution from their frontcourt, where center Marreese Speights and forward Dan Werner both had double-doubles.
Speights tallied 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Werner added 10 points and 10 boards.
Werner - who hails from Middletown, N.J. - spent most of the game guarding a familiar face in Rutgers forward JR Inman, the Scarlet Knights? leading scorer at 20 points per game. Werner held Inman to 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting in a rematch of sorts from their high school days.
BHe?s a heck of a player,C Werner said. BAll in all, I think I did a pretty good job. He?s become a better shooter since the last time I played him, but he?s basically still the same guy.C
With the win, Donovan and the Gators reached another milestone in the young season. After setting a record for consecutive home wins against Tennessee Tech, Donovan achieved his 300th career win Saturday, 265 of which have come during his tenure at UF.
Lucas said the team may look back on the win as a turning point for the season, but at this point his focus is on moving forward.
BI wouldn?t say we?re mature already, because we have a long way to go,C Lucas said. BBut I think we?re coming along really good, and by the time we get deep in the season, I think we?ll be right there.C
