Florida Gators basketball defeats Mercer

The Florida Gator Men’s Basketball team improved to a 2-0 record on Sunday night as they downed the Mercer Bears in Jacksonville, Florida 76-54. It was the second game for the Gators in just two short days and the signs of fatigue seemed to show early as both teams got off to slow starts offensively. After the slow start, the Gators gathered all the momentum and went on a nice run end the first half up by 22 at halftime with nearly everyone in the starting lineup contributing. The first half run was capped off by a perfect play drawn up by head coach Mike White out of a timeout. Sophomore forward Kevarrius Hayes caught the inbounds pass in mid air and sank a shot to give the Gators a 36-14 lead at the half.

In the second half, the Mercer Bears began knocking down three pointers but the big Gator lead was too much to overcome. The Gators had three scores in double-digits. Justin Leon led the team with 17 points and five rebounds and really found his stroke from beyond the arch in the second half. KeVaughn Allen poured in 15 points but struggled shooting 3-12 from the field. Devin Robinson continued his stellar play with a 12-point and nine rebound effort in tonight’s win.

While the Gators walk away with a few questions yet to be answered, they can relish the fact that they beat two good teams in Florida Gulf Coast and Mercer. The Gators will continue their tour of the state of Florida as they take on St. Bonaventure this Thursday in Lakeland, Florida.