Fast start leads Florida to 83-66 rout of No. 11 Texas A&M

Egor Koulechov scored a game-high 19 points and Keith Stone added 18, as Florida took a big first-half lead and rolled to a 83-66 victory over No. 11 Texas A&M in a Southeastern Conference game Tuesday night in College Station, Texas.





Florida (10-4, 2-0) found the shooting touch it has been lacking since the early part of this season. The Gators scored over 100 points in four of their first five games -- all of which they won.





Florida has now won four straight games, including its first two in the SEC.





The Gators did not make a free throw in the contest -- missing their only one, which came in the second half -- but they did not need any since they shot 52 percent from the field (33-for-64) and 61 percent (17-for-28) on 3-pointers.





Koulechov, a graduate transfer from Rice, made 5 of 6 3-pointers and 7 of 13 shots overall. Stone hit 4 of 6 3-point shots and went 7-for-14 overall.





Chris Chiozza added 12 points and nine assists, and Jalen Hudson (11 points) also helped as the Florida offense proved too much, thanks to its accurate shooting touch.





Earlier this season, the Gators at one point were the top-ranked offensive team in the country before the shooting struggles started. The Gators were ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation before falling out of the Top 25 completely.





More performances like this could help Florida find its way back into the poll.





In Tuesday's game, Florida hit 56 percent from the field and 62 percent on 3-point shots in the first half, rolling to a 46-30 lead over Texas A&M (11-3, 0-2) at halftime.





The Gators started quickly and were on top 21-15 before one run helped them break things open in the first half. They scored 12 of the next 14 points for a 33-17 edge, thanks to five from Stone -- including a 3-pointer.





Jay Jay Chandler led the Aggies with 17 points as they couldn't catch up after the fast Florida start.



--Field Level Media