National Basketball Association
Florida 68, Missouri 58
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
Officials:
# Tony Greene, # Keith Kimble, # Kipp Kissinger
Attendance:
12123
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 4 Florida 68, Missouri 58: Michael Frazier II buried three 3-pointers during a decisive run in the second half and finished with 14 points as the Gators held off the Tigers for their 14th consecutive victory - and 27th in a row at home.
Highly regarded freshman Chris Walker recorded four points, two blocks and two rebounds in seven minutes in his first collegiate game for Florida (20-2, 9-0 SEC), which overcame its first halftime deficit of the season at home. Scottie Wilbekin scored a career-high 19 while Patric Young contributed 13 points and six rebounds.
Jabari Brown had 15 points - including three 3-pointers - and six assists for Missouri (16-6, 4-5), which was held to its lowest point total of the season by the nation's No. 6 team in scoring defense entering the game. Jordan Clarkson added 14 points after combining with Brown to score 61 in Saturday's 84-79 loss to Kentucky.
Walker's second alley-oop dunk in a span of 2:03 came with six seconds left in the first half before Brown answered with a jumper from some 28 feet at the buzzer to put Missouri ahead 28-25 at the break. Young's jump hook with 14:57 left followed Frazier's 3-pointer and provided Florida its first lead of the second half 37-35.
Frazier's 3-pointer with 8:59 remaining gave the Gators the lead for good and his third in a span of 1:56 highlighted a 16-3 run which catapulted Florida into a 59-48 lead with 3:17 to go. The Tigers missed nine of their 10 shots from the field during the spurt and Wilbekin converted 7-of-8 free throws in the final 2:24 to seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Walker, a 6-10 forward who was cleared to play following the NCAA's investigation involving improper benefits he received during his AAU career, made his first appearance with 11:28 left in the first half and recorded two blocks, a rebound and a personal foul in a stretch of 2:41 before heading back to the bench. ... Florida recorded its 16th consecutive 20-win season, the fourth-longest active streak behind Kansas (24), Duke (17) and Syracuse (17). ... Florida, which set a school record with its 14th straight SEC victory at home, recorded 15 assists on its 19 field goals, led by Kasey Hill's six.
Top Game Performances
Missouri |
|
Florida |
Jabari Brown 15 |
Scoring |
Scottie Wilbekin 19 |
Jabari Brown 6 |
Assists |
Kasey Hill 6 |
Ryan Rosburg 7 |
Rebounds |
Dorian Finney-Smith 7 |
Jabari Brown 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Scottie Wilbekin 13 |
Jabari Brown 2 |
Steals |
Michael Frazier II 1 |
N/A |
Blocks |
Chris Walker 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Missouri
|
58 |
39.6 |
8-21 |
8-12 |
10 |
28 |
0 |
4 |
12 |
Florida
|
68 |
44.2 |
6-20 |
24-33 |
15 |
31 |
4 |
2 |
10 |