For what was supposed to be a "sandwich game" on Wednesday night in Athens, the Gators sure did come out focused and ready to play solid basketball.
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Al Horford pitched in a double-double for the Gators, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Corey Brewer took the high-scorer honor last night with 18 points. Georgia got double digit scoring out of Mike Mercer (15), Levi Stukes (12) and Steve Newman (11), but it just wasn't enough in the end to overcome the #1 team in the nation.
Thanks to a great defensive effort by the Gators, Georgia only managed to shoot 34% from the floor, including shooting a miserable 4-22 from beyond the 3-point line. The Gators, on the other hand, had yet another great shooting performance, hitting 52% of their shots on the evening. They currently lead the nation in FG percentage, and night in and night out they show us why.
I am very happy with the effort put forth last night by this team. Going into Athens proved to not be easy for other SEC teams such as Kentucky, Vanderbilt and LSU. Combining that with the fact that the Gators are coming off of a homestand and they will travel to Rupp on Saturday, this definitely could have turned into a letdown game for this team. However they came out hungry and ready to play, and took the Bulldogs best shot -- only to prove that they could be head and shoulders above several of the teams in this conference.
They shot the ball well, played great defense and didn't turn the ball over much. They got good, productive minutes out of Chris Richard and Walter Hodge off the bench. Lee Humphrey continued to shoot the ball well from beyond the arc. Corey Brewer's knee turned out fine.
What a great night for Florida Basketball. On to Lexington to take on those darned 'Cats. Rupp should be rocking when the Gators come to town.
AP Photo/John Bazemore