No. 9 Florida 83, No. 16 Missouri 52: Scottie Wilbekin posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 assists as the host Gators took control early and cruised to a victory in their first-ever meeting against the Tigers.
Erik Murphy poured in a team-high 15 points while Kenny Boynton added 14 for Florida (14-2, 4-0 SEC), which has won each of its conference games by at least 21 points.
Jabari Brown led all scorers with 16 points for Missouri (13-4, 2-2).
The Gators – who have the third-best scoring defense in the country – immediately established their dominance, scoring five points off two steals over the first 64 seconds of the game. The initial defensive surge allowed Florida to hit seven of its first eight shots and establish a 15-2 lead just 4:16 into the contest.
The lead swelled to 20 near the end of the first half and grew to as many as 34 in the closing seconds.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Missouri was without leading scorer Laurence Bowers for a third straight game due to a sprained right medial collateral ligament and Florida took advantage with a 48-14 advantage in points inside the paint. … The Gators forced Tigers G Phil Pressey into a career-high 10 turnovers and turned 22 miscues into 34 points. … Missouri entered Saturday averaging an NCAA-best 43.8 rebounds, but Florida soundly defeated the Tigers on the boards 30-19.
Missouri | Florida | |
Jabari Brown 16 | Scoring | Erik Murphy 15 |
Phil Pressey 6 | Assists | Scottie Wilbekin 10 |
Tony Criswell 5 | Rebounds | Patric Young 8 |
Keion Bell 4 | Free Throws Made | Michael Frazier II 2 |
Stefan Jankovic 3 | Steals | Scottie Wilbekin 3 |
Alex Oriakhi 1 | Blocks | Patric Young 3 |