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Dominance would be the only way to describe Florida’s play in the past three games. The Gators have outscored their opponents in that stretch, 283-177, as UF cruised to a 93-54 win over the Missouri Tigers on Thursday night at Exactech Arena. Florida has now won each of its past three games by over 30 points as the Gators have found their stride a little past halfway through their SEC schedule.
Florida outrebounded the SEC’s second-best team on the boards, 56-32, notching six more defensive rebounds than Missouri had total boards. Canyon Barry led the team with 17 points, but it was Chris Chiozza who stole the show on Thursday night. Chiozza recorded the first triple-double of his career, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. KeVaughn Allen played almost exclusively in the first half but ended the game with 15 points and three rebounds. Kasey Hill once again had a loaded stat line, notching 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal. It was the 13th straight game that Hill finished with at least one steal. Chiozza discussed the team’s overall play in the win and his triple-double. Florida head Coach Mike White summarized Chiozza’s role as the X-factor in the team’s past few wins and his oral history of the triple-double.
Terrence Phillips was the only Tiger to show any sense of consistency, scoring 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Missouri was outshot from the field, 45 percent to 30 percent, and outscored in bench points, 47-25. Mizzou is still yet to win a game in 2017, recording their last victory on December 6 of 2016 against Miami (Ohio). Coach White presented his take after the game on the team’s stellar defense and their continued domination.
.@Chiozza11 is the first Gator in 8 years to get a triple-double (Calathes v Georgia 1/28/09)
12 points – 12 rebounds – 10 assists pic.twitter.com/5jvytIf8nb
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 3, 2017
1st Half
The Gators got off to a quick 6-0 run off of some putrid defense by the Missouri Tigers. The lead extended to seven points after a KeVaughn Allen three-pointer put Florida up 9-2. Allen had five of the Gators’ first nine points.
UF built a 14-3 lead with five minutes played in the first half. KeVaughn Allen started off 3-for-3 from the floor, good for seven points. The only player to score for Missouri up to this point was Reed Nikko, who had all of the Tigers’ points.
With just under nine minutes gone in the first frame, an NBA-range three-pointer by Kasey Hill gave the Gators a 27-6 lead, capping a 21-4 run over the course of seven minutes. Missouri, the 31st best rebounding team in the nation, was out-rebounded 13-2 in the first 10 minutes.
A quick 8-0 run gave Florida a 38-9 lead with a little over five minutes left in the first frame. KeVaughn Allen was the first Gator in double-digit scoring, notching 10 points off of 4-of-5 shooting to start the contest.
Florida took their first 30-point lead of the game off of a John Egbunu lay-up with the foul. Big John couldn’t sink the free-throw, but Florida still went up 46-15 with 1:13 left in the first twenty minutes.
Halftime
The Gators closed the half on a 30-14 run, taking a 48-20 lead into halftime. KeVaughn Allen led all first half scorers with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Chris Chiozza arguably had his best first half of the 2016-2017 season, going 3-for-5 from the floor with eight points and seven rebounds.
Florida outshot Missouri from the floor in the first frame, 47-percent to 23-percent, and outrebounded the Tigers, 31-13. The Gators had two less offensive rebounds in the first twenty minutes than Mizzou had total rebounds.
From the charity stripe, UF was money in the first half, going 13-16. Missouri was less fortunate from the foul line, converting on only three of their six attempts. Every Gator to play in the first half scored at least two points.
2nd Half
With four minutes played in the second half, Florida led once again by 30 points, this time, holding a 55-23 lead over Missouri. The Gators opened the final twenty minutes on a 7-3 run.
A quick 8-0 run featuring two Devin Robinson dunks that nearly brought the O’Dome down to the ground gave Florida a 35-point lead with about 13 minutes left in the contest. Robinson has been a key cog in UF’s offensive machine over the past four games.
With 9:30 left in the game, Chris Chiozza recorded the first double-double of his Gator career. Chiozza had 10 points and 11 rebounds up to that point in the game as Florida held a 75-39 lead with 7:20 left in the contest.
Florida took their first 40-point lead of the game on a Gorjok Gak tip-in basket. 10 different Gators had scored a basket up to this point, as Florida held an 84-44 lead with 4:40 left in the contest.
Looking Ahead
The Gators wrapped up the game with a 93-54 victory over Missouri. They’ll have one short day of rest before taking on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night at Exactech Arena. Coach Cal and the Wildcats are sure to give the Gators their toughest SEC match-up yet.
"It was kind of like getting hit by a train." -Kim Anderson on the loss. Accurate.
— Jake Winderman (@jakewinderman) February 3, 2017
