Known as one of the Gators’ most skilled defenders, Scottie Wilbekin proved on Friday that he could also be a scoring threat.
The junior point guard recorded a career-high 17 points and eight assists to lead No. 7 Florida to a 79-66 victory against UCF (3-2) in the O’Connell Center for its first 5-0 start since the 2009-10 season.
Wilbekin made six of his 12 field goal attempts and four of nine 3-pointers. In 32 minutes off the bench, he also notched three steals and five rebounds – four coming on the offensive end.
“It just feels good to make some shots and get some points, so I can get back into the flow,” Wilbekin said. “They were going under screens, and coach (Billy Donovan) said, ‘If they’re going under screens, you’ve got to shoot.”
Wilbekin’s previous career best in scoring was an 11-point outing against North Carolina A&T on Nov. 18, 2010 in his third career game. In three contests since serving a three-game suspension, Wilbekin has averaged 9.7 points per game – 7.1 more than last season.
After leaving Tuesday night’s contest against Savannah State with a left ankle sprain, senior guard Kenny Boynton led the Gators with 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting and eight rebounds.
Friday also marked the season debut of Casey Prather, who suffered two concussions in a nine-day span during the preseason. In 13 minutes against the Knights, the junior forward scored 8 points and grabbed four boards.
Prather left to the locker room late in the first period with a gash under his lower lip but returned in the second half with a bandage covering the stitches.
“I felt bad for the poor guy,” Donovan said. “It’s like one thing after another with this guy. I feel terrible for him, because if there’s anybody who deserves to be on the floor, it’s him. But I was happy that he was able to come back in, play and perform.”
While UF shot 42.6 percent from the field and only made 10 of its 33 field goal attempts from beyond the arc, the Gators also outrebounded the Knights 41-27 and turned over the ball nine times to UCF’s 19.
Wilbekin’s hustle set the tone early for the Gators. With Florida down 5-0, Wilbekin missed two three-pointers but grabbed three offensive boards in one possession. His third attempt from behind the arc during the play found net.
Before Wilbekin’s shot, the Gators were 0 for 9 from the field in the first four minutes.
“We were having a tough time scoring at the beginning of the game,” Boynton said. “He finally got one to go down, and from there, he felt it.”
Wilbekin scored 11 of Florida’s first 20 points. At halftime, the Gators led the Knights 42-24.
To begin the second half, the Knights crept back into the game with a 10-0 run. But the Gators responded with two second-half runs of 8-2 and 13-5 to make the game out of reach for the Knights.
“Coach [Donovan] really stressed that we wanted to push the tempo, because they only play about six to seven guys,” Wilbekin said. “We were trying to get them tired and keep the tempo in our favor.”
Scottie Wilbekin poses for a photo at the University of Florida Media Day on Oct. 10. Wilbekin scored a career high 17 points in Florida's 79-66 victory against Central Florida on Saturday night in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
