No. 11 Florida 78, Air Force 61: Erik Murphy had a team-high 21 points on a sizzling 8-for-10 effort from the field as the host Gators improved to 10-2 all-time in the Orange Bowl Classic.
Kenny Boynton scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half and Patric Young added 13 points for Florida (9-2), which benefited from a 32-23 rebounding edge to pull away from Air Force (8-3).
Boynton matched his first-half total by drilling a 3-pointer to give the Gators a 40-34 advantage just over four minutes into the second. The senior guard, who is a two-time team MVP of the event, followed up with another from long range to cap an 8-0 run.
Boynton's third 3-pointer of the second half gave Florida a 59-47 advantage, matching its largest lead of the game. The Gators put the clamps on defense to cruise to victory.
Mountain West Conference leading scorer Michael Lyons shot just 3-for-14 from the field for 11 points for the Falcons, who saw their modest two-game winning streak come to an end.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Boynton, who went 3-for-7 from 3-point range, entered the contest in a 4-for-32 slump from beyond the arc. ... The Falcons benefited from a 17-5 edge in bench points during the first half as they pulled within two at 33-31 at intermission. ... Air Force G Todd Fletcher, who entered the game with just five turnovers on the season, had three in the first half.
Air Force | Florida | |
Kyle Green 11 | Scoring | Erik Murphy 21 |
Todd Fletcher 3 | Assists | Erik Murphy 4 |
Michael Lyons 7 | Rebounds | Erik Murphy 7 |
Kyle Green 4 | Free Throws Made | Scottie Wilbekin 5 |
Taylor Broekhuis 1 | Steals | Scottie Wilbekin 3 |
N/A | Blocks | Erik Murphy 3 |