Junior Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and sophomore Kenny Boynton (Pompano Beach, Fla.) each scored 17 points to lead Florida past LSU, 68-61 for its fifth-consecutive victory on Sunday.
The Gators earned the victory without senior Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) and put themselves in a tie with Alabama for the overall lead in the Southeastern Conference standings.
Walker made three 3-pointers and all four of his free throw attempts and Boynton was 5-of-12 from the field and contributed six of his seven foul shots.
Senior Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) added 16 points and seven rebounds, including 12 points in the first half (6-of-9) in building a 15-point Florida lead.
Florida went on two runs in the first half to take the lead at halftime. Freshman Patric Young (Jacksonville, Fla.) and sophomore Erik Murphy (South Kingstown, R.I.) took over when the Gators were up 9-8, collectively scoring eight points in a 10-point run.
The Tigers pulled within 21-16, but Boynton and Macklin fueled an 11-3 run over a span of five minutes.
LSU’s leading scorer Ralston Turner narrowed the margin to 42-34 with five consecutive points, but Florida answered back with six straight points from Walker, Macklin and Boynton.
At the 9:01 mark, LSU held the Gators scoreless for almost six minutes, until Boynton made a layup after a steal by Macklin.
In the last two minutes, Florida made six consecutive free throws (four by Walker) to seal the win for the first time in Baton Rouge, La. since 2003.
The Orange and Blue return home to face Georgia on Thursday, Feb. 24 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
