Florida Gators Basketball defeats FGCU in season opener
The Florida Gators (1-0) basketball team won their season opener for the 25th consecutive season opener against FGCU (0-1) on Friday night. After a difficult start to the game, the Gators pulled away in the second half to win 80-59 over the Eagles, an NCAA Tournament team last season.
Head coach Mike White opted to start Kasey Hill at point guard, KeVaughn Allen at shooting guard, Devin Robinson and Justin Leon at forward, and John Egbunu started at center. Twelve different Gators saw playing time on the night.
Four players were double-digit scorers in the season opener. Robinson led Florida with 14 points and six rebounds. Egbunu was also a key to the Gators’ success with 13 points and eight boards. Canyon Barry had a nice debut with 13 points and six rebounds. Kasey Hill hit four-of-five shots and three-of-four free throws in an 11-point performance.
Florida’s defense started out sluggish, but finished strong. The Gators finished the game on a 35-8 scoring run over the Eagles, only allowing two field goals over that period of time. FGCU shot just 32.0 percent in the second half of play. Florida also forced 19 turnovers with 11 steals. The Gators weren’t lacking in blocked shots, with a career-high five blocked by Kevarrius Hayes and nine total.
The Gators look to be much improved from the foul line, as they hit 20-of-26 Hayes and Robinson led the way, making all nine of their combined free-throws. While it wasn’t always pretty, Florida found a way to prevail over a good team.
Coming Up Next:
Florida stays in Jacksonville for another game against Mercer at 8:00 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPNU.