Sports | Basketball - The Independent Florida Alligator

Florida forward Will Yeguete (15) attempts a shot against Georgetown forward Otto Porter on Nov. 9 aboard the USS Bataan in Jacksonville.

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Yeguete steps up for Gators amid injuries

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Jan. 13, 2013

The Gators were already playing a man down in Baton Rouge, La.

Coach Amanda Butler reacts to a play during Florida’s 78-75 overtime loss to No. 9 Tennessee on Sunday in the O’Connell Center.

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Florida’s upset bid falls short in overtime

Jan. 13, 2013

Coach Amanda Butler had her team on the brink of upsetting No. 9 Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, a victory that would have represented arguably Florida’s biggest win during her tenure.

Forward Casey Prather (24) looks for a scoring option against  Georgia defender Nemanja Djurisic in Florida’s 77-44 win on Wednesday in the O’Connell Center. Prather scored 10 points in the victory.

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Prather impresses for Florida in surprise start against Georgia

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Jan. 10, 2013

With Erik Murphy suffering from a broken rib and Will Yeguete nursing tendinitis in his right knee, Florida needed a frontcourt player to step up against Georgia.

Coach Amanda Butler watches from the bench during UF’s 87-62 win against Troy on Dec. 4 in the O’Connell Center.

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Bonds leads Gators to road victory

Jan. 10, 2013

After a slow start to begin the season, junior Jaterra Bonds rose to the occasion in the Gators’ first two games to open Southeastern Conference play.

Forward Erik Murphy passes the ball during Florida’s 77-44 win against Georgia on Jan. 9 in the O’Connell Center. Murphy scored 17 points in Florida's 61-57 loss at Kentucky on Saturday.

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Murphy overcomes broken rib to lead Gators

By LANDON WATNICK< | Jan. 9, 2013

Forward Erik Murphy fractured one of his ribs when he absorbed contact from a teammate during Friday’s practice.

Senior forward Jennifer George dribbles in the lane during Florida's 77-72 win against LSU in the O'Connell Center.

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George questionable to play against Mississippi State

Jan. 9, 2013

Florida netted its first Southeastern Conference win of the season with a 77-72 victory against LSU on Sunday, but the Gators suffered a troubling loss during the game.

Kenny Boynton (1) plays defense against Georgetown on Nov. 9 aboard the USS Bataan in Jacksonville. Boynton and Scottie Wilbekin will go head-to-head with Georgia’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tonight at 7 at the O’Connell Center.

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Gators to be tested by Georgia's Caldwell-Pope

By LANDON WATNICK< | Jan. 8, 2013

For Florida, the memory of last season’s road loss to Georgia is still fresh.

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Donovan defends slumping Southeastern Conference

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Jan. 8, 2013

When Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban raised the crystal football above his head, the Southeastern Conference made history.

Forward Erik Murphy battles for the ball against during Florida’s 78-61 win against Air Force on Dec. 29 in the BB&T Center in Sunrise.

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Forward Erik Murphy doubtful against Georgia

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Jan. 7, 2013

When No. 11 Florida traveled to New Haven, Conn., to face Yale, the game was going to be a homecoming of sorts for senior Erik Murphy. The South Kingstown, R.I., native planned on having family and friends make the hour long trip to watch him play Sunday night.

Senior guard Kenny Boynton attempts a shot during Florida’s 78-61 victory against Air Force on Dec. 29 in the O’Connell Center.

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Guard’s shooting lifts UF against Yale

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Jan. 6, 2013

After a rough stretch offensively, guard Kenny Boynton rediscovered his shot.

Erik Murphy (33) and Patric Young (4) try to block a shot from Jared Berggren during Florida's 74-56 win at home against Wisconsin on Nov. 14th. While the No. 13 Gators are 9-2, their defensive efficiency numbers have been down the last two games.

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Florida faces Yale with improvements on offense and defense in mind

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Jan. 5, 2013

Florida may have left Sunrise with a 78-61 win against Air Force in the Orange Bowl Classic, but coach Billy Donovan still knew the Gators could have performed better on defense.

Junior guard Jaterra Bonds drives past a Fairfield defender in a 71-49 victory at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Nov. 9. Bonds scored a season-high 21 points in a seven-point loss to No. 6 Kentucky on Thursday night at the Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky. The Wildcats defeated the Gators in all three matchups last season by an average margin of four points.

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Struggles continue for Gators against Wildcats in another close contest

Jan. 3, 2013

Gators junior Jaterra Bonds was deadly from the floor Thursday night, scoring a season- and game-best 21 points, including making each of her 11 attempts from the free throw line.

Senior guard Kenny Boynton drives to the basket during Florida's 78-61 victory against Air Force at the Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla. Boynton shook off recent shooting troubles en route to a 14-point performance.

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Hot shooting from Gators' Kenny Boynton lifts UF to win in Orange Bowl Classic

By LANDON WATNICK | Dec. 29, 2012

SUNRISE – Before facing Air Force, Kenny Boynton found himself in one of the worst shooting slumps of his college career.

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Florida defeats Holy Cross in non-conference finale

Dec. 28, 2012

With dreams of Kentucky and Southeastern Conference play dancing in her head, senior Jennifer George and the Gators were first tasked with completing their non-conference slate on Friday night.

Florida center Patric Young (4) dunks the ball during the second half against Kansas State on Saturday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas State won the game 67-61.

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Stellar night from Patric Young not enough for Florida against Kansas State

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Dec. 23, 2012

For the first time this season, the No. 8 Gators entered the half trailing by double-digits. Although Florida cut Kansas State’s lead from 10 to one in less than four minutes to open the second half, it wasn’t enough to give Florida the win.

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Florida loses No. 3 basketball recruit to Duke

By LANDON WATNICK< | Dec. 20, 2012

Jabari Parker, the No. 3 recruit in the 2013 class on Rivals.com, announced his commitment to Duke at his high school Thursday afternoon.

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Rosario posts a season-high in home blowout of Southeastern Louisiana

By KATIE AGOSTIN | Dec. 20, 2012

After Mike Rosario missed six games and 25 practices last season, coach Billy Donovan questioned the guard’s consistency. But as Florida faced Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday night in the O’Connell Center, Rosario showed Donovan he’s more reliable.

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George posts double-double as Gators dominate La Salle in defensive effort

Dec. 16, 2012

Coach Amanda Butler said her team needed to respond to the adversity of playing on the road.

Florida's Mike Rosario (3) takes the ball away from Arizona's Kaleb Tarczewski (35) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKale Center on Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz. No. 8 Arizona defeated No. 5 Florida 65-64 by finishing the game on a 7-0 run.

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Wildcats shock Gators with late run in Tucson

By LANDON WATNICK | Dec. 15, 2012

Up by six against Arizona with less than a minute remaining, Florida melted down late Saturday night.

Redshirt senior guard Mike Rosario reacts to Florida's 72-47 win against Florida State in Tallahassee on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. Rosario scored a game-high 22 points during UF's 83-52 victory against Auburn on Saturday.

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Guard Rosario plays key role in Gators win

By LANDON WATNICK< | Dec. 5, 2012

TALLAHASSEE—Last season, guard Mike Rosario missed Florida’s meeting against Florida State with a lower back strain.