Florida held on for an impressive 71-67 victory at Xavier on Friday afternoon, snapping the Musketeers' 30-game home winning streak.
Holding a slim 31-27 lead at the half, the Gators (9-3) scored 10 unanswered points to extend their edge to 50-35 with 13:20 remaining.
Xavier (9-4) made a late surge, cutting the gap to 70-67 on a 3-pointer by Kevin Feeney with 1.3 seconds left, but time ran out on the comeback effort.
The Gators got the win thanks largely to a defensive effort that held the Musketeers under 40 percent shooting until the final minutes. Florida also helped its cause down the stretch with its foul shooting, hitting 19 of 25 shots from the line.
Erving Walker led a balanced Florida offense with 18 points. Kenny Boynton and Vernon Macklin added 15 and 14, respectively, for the Gators.
Holloway finished with a game-high 26 points while Kenny Frease added 16 points and seven rebounds for Xavier.
Florida | Xavier | |
Erving Walker 18 | Scoring | Tu Holloway 26 |
Chandler Parsons 7 | Assists | Tu Holloway 6 |
Chandler Parsons 11 | Rebounds | Jamel McLean 10 |
Erving Walker 9 | Free Throws Made | Tu Holloway 6 |
Scottie Wilbekin 2 | Steals | Kevin Feeney 2 |
Alex Tyus 1 | Blocks | Kenny Frease 1 |