The No. 14 Florida Gators, led by seniors Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) and Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) with 19 points apiece, had a stellar second half en route to a 78-51 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. With the win, Florida clinched at least a share of its first SEC regular season title since the 2007 National Championship season.
The senior trio of Parsons, Macklin and Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) accounted for 50 of the Gators’ 78 points. Florida had four players in double figures, as sophomore Kenny Boynton (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Tyus contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively. Parsons’ 19 points was a season-high and, with 11 rebounds on the night, earned the 14th double-double of his career.
The teams had an even first half, heading into halftime with 30 points apiece. The Gators’ largest lead of the first half was only four points, as both squads took time to warm up from beyond the arc. Florida started 0-for-10 for three-pointers before finding their stride, nailing eight treys out of their next 11 attempts.
There were seven ties and 10 lead changes in the contest, but the Gators began their momentum shift out of intermission, taking the lead for good with Parsons’ jumper in the first minute of the second stanza.
It was certainly a tale of two halves, as Florida came out of the intermission on a 5-0 run, extending an 8-0 lead that was sparked by Boynton’s trey with 19 seconds remaining in the first half. Parsons began to get into a rhythm, scoring eight points in three minutes to give the Gators a 12-point lead with under 10 to play.
A dunk by Macklin with less than eight minutes to go put the Gators in the driver’s seat, as Florida went on a 9-0 run, which featured two Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) treys. Overall, the Gators outscored the Crimson Tide, 48-21, in the second half.
While the Gator offense was impressive in the second half, the defense was aggressive on the glass, with Florida outrebounding Alabama 19-13 in the second half, including 14-4 in defensive boards. The Gators converted 15 points off turnovers, including nine in the second half.
Florida hits the road for its final regular season SEC game, as the Gators take on the No. 20 Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn. Opening tip is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN.
