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.