The No. 17 Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 72-60 in Athens on Tuesday night. It was the fifth straight win for the Florida Gators, and another nice road win to add to the resume. The Gators improve to 19-5 (9-2 SEC).
It was a great quick start on the road for the Gators early on going 4-6 early, creating turnovers and making Georgia work for every shot. The defense of Chris Chiozza early was enough to rattle the Bulldogs enough and create a 30-16 lead in what appeared to be another offensive explosion for the Gators. It was quite the opposite to end the half. After the hot start, Georgia went on a 17-2 run and tied the game up with under three minutes to go in the half. Kasey hill ended the ice-cold 0-10 scoring drought and regained the lead for his team. Florida lead 35-33 at the half and the Bulldogs closed with a 19-5 run to stay right in the game. The Gators finished shooting 37 percent compared to Georgia’s 41 percent. The Gators were also out rebounded in the first 20 minutes 14-19.
The Gators started hot again the second half and played great defense against the Bulldogs not allowing a basket for the first six minutes of the half. Florida, lead by outstanding guard play, stretched its lead to 10 points. The Bulldogs tried to get the home crowd back into the game cutting it to eight points but the Gator defense was too much for Georgia. The Gators ended the night shooting 41 percent and again had four players in double figures. Chiozza lead the way with 15 points. Kasey Hill had 12 points and five assists on the night.
What’s Next: The Gators host Texas A&M (12-10) on Saturday in Gainesville.