TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Kenny Boynton scored 14 points and Erik Murphy added 10, including a decisive late field goal, as 16th-ranked Florida held off Florida State's late rally to beat the Seminoles 55-51 Sunday night.
Michael Snaer's fifth 3-pointer of the game cut Florida's lead to 53-51 with 51 seconds left before Murphy's putback with 16 seconds left.
The Gators (5-1) opened a 53-48 lead with 1:20 left on two free throws by Murphy coming just 17 seconds after two by Boynton.
Snaer scored 15 points for the Seminoles (5-1).
Florida State shot just 33.3 percent against the smaller, quicker Gators and their leading scorer on the season, Chris Singleton, was just 2 of 12 from the field.
Florida made 17 of 25 free throws while Florida State scored six points from the line. The Gators also had a 35-31 rebounding advantage.
It was the first real test of the season for Florida State, which won its first five games by an average of 22 points over inferior opponents. The Seminoles host third-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten challenge. The Buckeyes handed Florida its only loss of the season, 93-75, Nov. 16 in Gainesville.
The Gators led almost from the start, taking advantage of poor Florida State shooting on its way to a 30-21 halftime lead. Murphy made a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 3 seconds left before halftime.
