National Basketball Association
Florida 75, Incarnate Word 60
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 22, 2017
Where: Exactech Arena, Gainesville, Florida
Officials:
# Anthony Jordan, # Peter Juzenas, # Josue Nieves
Attendance:
8021
By The Sports Xchange
Chris Chiozza scored a game-high 16 points, and Florida pulled away in the second half for a 75-60 victory over Incarnate Word on Friday night in Gainesville, Fla.
Chiozza made 4 of 5 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, and sank all seven of his free throws.
Florida (8-4) again dealt with some shooting issues as the Gators shot only 39 percent from the field, but they went 16 of 18 at the free-throw line.
Jalen Hudson (13 points) and Egor Koulachev (12) were the other two Gators to score in double figures.
Hudson scored six points in a 14-2 run early in the second half and Chiozza posted the final five points in a 15-2 run that gave the Gators a 66-48 lead with just over nine minutes remaining.
The Florida defense also did well at times, forcing 23 turnovers that hurt in the Incarnate Word offense.
For the Gators, the defense has helped in spots during the past few games but still needs to play better when SEC play begins.
The offense continues to look for its shooting touch. Florida was the top-ranked offensive team in the nation early in the season, but the Gators have stumbled since then.
Charles Brown III led Incarnate Word with 13 points and Simi Socks helped with 11.
The Cardinals kept the game close early before the Gators opened a 31-21 lead. Still, Incarnate Word slowly worked its way back.
The Cardinals sliced the lead to 37-34 as Shawn Johnson nailed a long 3-point shot from close to the midcourt line with one second remaining in the first half, but the second half belonged to Florida.
Top Game Performances
Incarnate Word |
|
Florida |
Charles Brown III 13 |
Scoring |
Chris Chiozza 16 |
Charles Brown III 1 |
Assists |
Jalen Hudson 6 |
Shawn Johnson 7 |
Rebounds |
Kevarrius Hayes 8 |
Keaton Hervey 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Chris Chiozza 7 |
Simi Socks 2 |
Steals |
Chris Chiozza 4 |
Augustine Ene 1 |
Blocks |
Gorjok Gak 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Incarnate Word
|
60 |
47.8 |
5-12 |
11-14 |
5 |
25 |
1 |
8 |
23 |
Florida
|
75 |
39.1 |
9-36 |
16-18 |
13 |
32 |
2 |
15 |
13 |