National Basketball Association
Florida 91, North Florida 60
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 1, 2016
Where: UNF Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
Officials:
# James Gattis, # Marc Ellard, # Bart Lenox
Attendance:
4113
By The Sports Xchange
Florida avoided a letdown after returning to the national rankings this week for the first time in two years, beating North Florida 91-60 on Thursday night at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Chris Chiozza recorded 16 points, a career-high-tying nine assists and four rebounds for the No. 24 Gators (7-1), who will face No. 5 Duke in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Justin Leon scored 13 for Florida. Canyon Barry added 12. Devin Robinson posted 10 points and six rebounds.
Dallas Moore scored 31 points for North Florida (3-6). It was the fifth 30-point game of his career.
Florida made it into the Top 25 this week for the first time since November 2014. It is the first time the Gators are ranked under second-year coach Mike White.
"I think it speaks to trending in a positive direction, and it's exciting for our fans and our players, but ultimately it doesn't mean a whole lot," White said. "It doesn't have anything to do with the next game or the rest of your schedule. It's never a predictor on how you finish your season or how you'll play or anything like that this time of year."
Florida beat North Florida 97-68 in an NIT game last season. Moore had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in that game.
This game played out similarly with the Gators opening up a big lead despite an impressive performance by Moore.
The first half started slowly, but Florida gradually built up a big lead. The Gators went up 10-4 on a layup by Kevarrius Hayes, took a 19-9 lead on a 3-pointer by Chiozza and extended the lead to double digits on a 3-pointer by Barry.
Florida went up by 17 on another 3-pointer by Chiozza and carried a 45-25 lead into the break. The Gators shot 50 percent in the opening half while holding the Ospreys to 33.3 percent shooting.
Moore made back-to-back 3-pointers as North Florida started the second half with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 12, but the Gators responded with a 13-4 run to take a 62-40 lead on a three-point play by Kasey Hill.
"It was nice to see us be able to get stops during that stretch and cut the lead to 12," North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll said.
Hill recorded five assists, becoming the 10th player in program history to accumulate 400 assists in his career.
Eleven different players scored for Florida. Seven of them scored seven points or more.
Florida shot 57.4 percent from the field and made 9 of 19 from 3-point range. North Florida shot 37.7 percent and made just 6 of 22 from beyond the arc. The Gators forced 20 turnovers and amassed a 31-23 rebounding advantage.
Chiozza made 5 of 8 from the field and 3 of 5 from long distance. Moore made 12 of 21 field-goal attempts and a career-high six 3-pointers before a collection of NBA scouts.
"Dallas was obviously one of the best players on the floor and that's why the NBA scouts were here tonight," Driscoll said. "Dallas is a special talent and I don't know if we will have another one around here like him."
NOTES: Florida debuted in the Top 25 this week following its performance at the AdvoCare Invitational, where the Gators beat Belmont, Seton Hall and Miami and suffered a five-point loss to then-No. 11 Gonzaga. ... Florida improved to 6-0 all-time against North Florida. ... North Florida fell to 0-18 against SEC teams. ... North Florida hosted a ranked opponent at UNF Arena for the first time in school history.
Top Game Performances
| Florida |
|
North Florida |
|
Chris Chiozza 16 |
Scoring |
Dallas Moore 31 |
|
Chris Chiozza 9 |
Assists |
Al-Wajid Aminu 1 |
|
Devin Robinson 6 |
Rebounds |
Osborn Blount 4 |
|
Justin Leon 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Al-Wajid Aminu 4 |
|
KeVaughn Allen 3 |
Steals |
Dallas Moore 2 |
|
John Egbunu 3 |
Blocks |
Al-Wajid Aminu 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Florida
|
91 |
58.5 |
9-19 |
20-28 |
17 |
31 |
3 |
8 |
12 |
| North Florida
|
60 |
37.7 |
6-22 |
14-19 |
2 |
23 |
3 |
4 |
20 |
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