Gator Country

Florida senior guard Walter Hodge shoots for three during the Gators' 89-61 win against the UCF Knights at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on Dec. 20 / Gator Country photo by Tim Darby

Photos by Tim Darby

Jacksonville—Florida freshmen Erving Walker and Kenny Kadji combined for 29 points to lead the Gators to a 89-61 victory over UCF at Veterans Memorial Arena on Dec. 20. Alex Tyus and Nick Calathes additionally recorded double-doubles as Florida improved to 8-2 overall on the season and 9-0 all-time against the Knights (5-4) with the victory. Walker scored a season best 14 points, while Kadji chipped in a season high 15.

Tyus tallied 20 points and crashed the boards for 14 rebounds, while Calathes racked up 16 points and dished out a career-tying 11 assists on the evening. Tyus hit 9-of-11 from the field, a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe and served five assists to aid UF’s offensive efforts.

Florida jumped out of the gates in the first half, shooting 61.8 percent from the field and outscoring the Knights 52-33 to enter the locker room with a 19-point advantage.

Calathes stepped it up on the defensive front for Florida with a season-tying four steals, while the Gators collaborated to hold Central Florida to just 29 percent from the field in the second half, stealing 21 points off of 16 UCF turnovers.

The Gators outscored the Knights inside, with 42 points in the paint, compared to UCF’s 24, and hit 28 second chance points to Central Florida’s four to pull away and seal the victory.

UCF’s Jermaine Taylor led the Knights in scoring with 13 points.

Photos by Tim Darby

Photo Gallery: Men’s Basketball vs. UCF 12/20/08

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