Florida, ranked No. 7 in the latest Associated Press poll, used
another solid defensive effort to win its fourth straight game to start
the season, beating Savannah State 58-40 on Tuesday at the O'Connell
Center.
Guard Mike Rosario and center Patric Young led Florida with 13
points each. Erik Murphy added 10. The Gators blocked nine shots in the
game.
Young had 13 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six blocks as the Gators overwhelmed Savannah State 58-40 Tuesday night.
"Patric felt like after the first three games that he should be playing at a higher level," coach Billy Donovan said. "He came out really focused tonight. ... When he plays really hard with great passion and great energy, there's no way that he should not score 15 to 20 points and he should not grab between 11 and 15 rebounds every game. He was right there."
The win came on a night when senior guard Kenny Boynton had to leave the game with an injury. Boynton drove to the basket with 13:23 remaining in the game didn't get up right away after being called for a charge. He laid on his stomach, pulling himself forward with his hands until trainer Duke Werner came onto the floor.
Werner worked on Boynton's left leg before Florida's leading scorer left the floor and then the bench putting little weight on the left leg. Coach Billy Donovan called it an ankle sprain after the game.
Boynton returned to the bench minutes later but then limped back to the locker room with seven minutes left in the game. He finished with five points on 1-for-6 shooting.
Florida led 24-4 in the first half before Savannah State (3-3) finished the half with a mini-run of 10-4 to cut the halftime lead to 28-14. The Tigers had eight turnovers in the half and made only 6-of-25 shots.
Florida struggled offensively as well, shooting only 31 percent, but had a big edge on the free-throw line where the Gators made 10-of-14 in the first half.
Florida has now held its opponents to less than 30 points in seven of the eight halves they have played.
Young had 13 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six blocks as the Gators overwhelmed Savannah State 58-40 Tuesday night.
"Patric felt like after the first three games that he should be playing at a higher level," coach Billy Donovan said. "He came out really focused tonight. ... When he plays really hard with great passion and great energy, there's no way that he should not score 15 to 20 points and he should not grab between 11 and 15 rebounds every game. He was right there."
The win came on a night when senior guard Kenny Boynton had to leave the game with an injury. Boynton drove to the basket with 13:23 remaining in the game didn't get up right away after being called for a charge. He laid on his stomach, pulling himself forward with his hands until trainer Duke Werner came onto the floor.
Werner worked on Boynton's left leg before Florida's leading scorer left the floor and then the bench putting little weight on the left leg. Coach Billy Donovan called it an ankle sprain after the game.
Boynton returned to the bench minutes later but then limped back to the locker room with seven minutes left in the game. He finished with five points on 1-for-6 shooting.
Florida led 24-4 in the first half before Savannah State (3-3) finished the half with a mini-run of 10-4 to cut the halftime lead to 28-14. The Tigers had eight turnovers in the half and made only 6-of-25 shots.
Florida struggled offensively as well, shooting only 31 percent, but had a big edge on the free-throw line where the Gators made 10-of-14 in the first half.
Florida has now held its opponents to less than 30 points in seven of the eight halves they have played.
