Florida Gators basketball routes Missouri behind Chiozza

The Florida Gators (17-5, 7-2 SEC) were dominant from the start at home against the Missouri Tigers (5-16, 0-9 SEC). With Kentucky on the horizon, Florida was in danger of getting caught in a trap game. Instead, the Gators handed Missouri its 13th straight loss. Guard Chris Chiozza lead the way for the Gators by collecting his first career triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the game.

Seven KeVaughn Allen points in the first four minutes of play led Florida to a 12-2 start to the game. The Gators showed no mercy throughout the remainder of the half, going up by as many as 30 points. Florida took a 48-20 lead to the locker room.

The Gators continued to have their way in the second half with a Missouri team that had lost all confidence. The Tigers were severely outmatched. Ten different guys scored for Florida in the 93-54 victory. The 39-point win was Florida’s second largest margin of victory this season, with the largest (41) coming against Charlotte earlier in the season. It was the third consecutive 30-plus point win for the Gators.

Florida shot 45.5 percent (30-for-66) from the floor, 39.3 percent (11-for-28) from beyond the arc and 81.5 percent (22-for-27) from the foul line on the night. The Gators were unusually dominant on the boards with a 56-32 advantage over the Tigers. Florida also outscored Mizzou 47-25 in points off the bench.

Canyon Barry led the charge off the bench with 17 points, mostly coming in the second half. He was 5-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-5 from three, and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. Allen was right behind Barry with 15 points and led the team with a 3-for-5 mark from long-range on the night. Chris Chiozza (12) and Kasey Hill (11) were also in double-digits for the Gators.

Coming Up Next:

Kentucky (18-4, 8-1 SEC) comes to town on Saturday, giving the Gators a turnaround shorter than 48 hours. The game will air on ESPN at 8:15.

 

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.