NASHVILLE, TN — Any concerns about a negative hangover from Wednesday night’s loss to South Carolina were dispelled in a six-minute stretch in the first half Sunday afternoon when the Florida Gators put together perhaps their best offensive run of the season. Down 13-7, the Gators went on a 28-9 run highlighted by five straight three-pointers to deliver an early knockout blow.
Florida’s 94-69 win over the Commodores was a measure of redemption for a heartbreaking collapse in the final 2:27 against South Carolina in Columbia earlier in the week. Playing in an arena with odd sight lines that is rarely kind to visitors, the Gators found the range early and often from long distance. Florida buried 12-18 threes in the first half and finished the game hitting 15-25 for a scorching 60 percent.
“We really shot the ball well and any time you make 12 threes in the first half, that’s a huge number,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan in his post game remarks.
Led by Chandler Parsons, who scored a career high 27 points, the Gators improved to 17-3 overall and 4-1 in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt dropped to 12-7 overall, 1-4 in the SEC East. The Gators will be at home Wednesday night against Georgia while Vanderbilt will travel to Columbia to face South Carolina.
The game offered an opportunity to wipe out bad memories for Parsons, whose missed free throw with 3.3 seconds remaining Wednesday night allowed South Carolina to score the game-winning shot at the buzzer. Shooting 26.8 percent from the three-point line entering the game, Parsons hit 7-8 Sunday, raising his three-point percentage to 33.3 percent.
It was Parsons that made the Commodores’ knees wobbly with three straight body blows in the form of three-pointers on three consecutive Florida possessions in the first half. The Gators were trailing 15-14 when he took control of the game with a three-pointer with 11:56 to go. It was 23-15 a minute later when he hit the third on that mini-binge.
Parsons hit his first five threes of the game and had 15 points, five rebounds and two assists at the half. Of the five rebounds, none was more important than the one he snagged on the offensive boards with 14 seconds left that saved a possession and led to Nick Calathes’ buzzer-beating three that gave the Gators a 56-37 halftime lead.
It wasn’t a one-man show for the Gators, however. Freshman Erving Walker (15), Calathes (10) and Walter Hodge (10) all scored in double figures in the first half.
Walker, who had a zero assists and five turnovers against South Carolina, bounced back from that subpar showing by hitting 3-4 from the three-point line in the first half.
Calathes and Hodge combined for 4-7 from the three-point line as part of a scorching 12-18 showing from beyond the arc in the first half. The Gators shot 55.6 percent for the half with 12 of their 20 made shots from the three-point line.
One problem the Gators have encountered this season is one hot half followed by a poor-shooting second half. Florida ended any thoughts of a second half collapse in the first two minutes at the start of the second half when they reeled off the first seven points.
Parsons didn’t let up in the second half, either. He scored 12 points in the second half including back-to-back three-pointers that stretched Florida’s lead to 77-51 with 12:38 left in the game. Parsons finished the game with eight rebounds and three assists.
Walker had 17 points and five assists while Calathes finished with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. Hodge had 10 points and three assists. Alex Tyus had nine points, all in the second half, and freshman Kenny Kadji added eight off the bench.
The Gators finished the game shooting 56.4 percent on 35-62 shooting. Florida hit 9-10 from the foul line, quite an improvement after a 9-15 effort that contributed to the loss at South Carolina.
Defensively, the Gators held Vanderbilt to 44 percent from the floor (26-59) and 27 percent (6-22) from the three-point stripe.
The Gators outrebounded the Commodores 30-27 with Werner and Parsons leading the way with eight each.
Vanderbilt’s leading scorer, A.J. Ogilvy, weakened by a bout with the flu earlier in the week, managed only four points and two rebounds. He came into the game averaging 16.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Commodores were led by George Drake with 14 points. Jermaine Beal added 13 and freshman Jeffery Taylor had 10.