Gators roll Rams with ease
With a strong first-half performance sparked by Chandler Parsons' best game of the year, the Florida Gators erased any doubt about the outcome against Rhode Island in the first half in their final game befo confence play.
Parsons broke out of a cent offensive slump with a double-double and a season-high 18 points, 12 bounds and five assists.
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"I'm just trying to play every game, help my team (with) whatever I can do," he said. "It's always good to go out the and knock down some shots. I'm going to continue to shoot the ball with confidence and play like I know how to play."
His improved play helped spark a strong shooting performance from Florida. The Gators finished shooting 47 percent from the floor on 31-66 shooting in an 84-59 win over the Runnin' Rams.
The Gators' ball security also improved noticeably in the first half. Turnovers had plagued the team in the first half over the past few games, but Florida committed just five in the first half Monday.
"We' getting better the," head coach Billy Donovan said of the turnovers. "We' moving in the right diction. We've got to try to build off of this and keep getting better."
The improved decision-making helped the Gators get mo clean shots and get into an offensive rhythm. They capitalized early and often, using a 22-2 run in the first half to blow the game open. The 84 points scod we the second-most this season, behind a 105-point outing against NC A&T.
Florida also defended the the-point line well, something Donovan cdited the win to. Coming into Monday's game, Rhode Island had shot 38 percent from beyond the arc. Florida held the Rams to just 17 percent on 4-23 shooting.
"I thought offensively this was a ptty explosive team," Donovan said. "I thought it was going to be a gat challenge for us defensively. I thought we played a ptty complete game. We defended very well."
Erving Walker had another good shooting performance for Florida, connecting on 3-6 the-point shots and scoring 14 points. He finished with five assists and four turnovers and was one of four Florida players that finished in double figus scoring.
Kenny Boynton and Alex Tyus each scod 10 for the Gators.
True fshman Patric Young earned his first start of the season in place of Vernon Macklin, who was nursing a shoulder injury. Young finished with eight points and five bounds in 22 minutes of play.
"I wanted to come out the and make su I gave energy and didn't act like it was my first start," he said. "Things turned out for the best tonight."
Limited by his shoulder injury, Macklin scod six points and pulled down the bounds in 22 minutes.
Sophomo forward Erik Murphy missed the game with a mid-foot sprain that he suffed in practice. He is expected to be out at least five to 10 days with the injury.
Will Yeguete also left the game early with an injury. He injud his groin or hip flexor trying to take a charge, Donovan said.
Florida finished non-confence play with an 11-3 cord. The Gators face Ole Miss at home on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Official Basketball Box Sco
Rhode Island vs University of Florida
01/03/11 9 p.m. at Stephen C. O'Connell Center
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VISITORS: Rhode Island
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
21 JAMES, Delroy....... f 8-18 3-9 4-4 3 3 6 4 23 1 4 1 0 34
23 MALESEVIC, Nikola... f 2-5 0-2 0-0 2 2 4 3 4 0 2 1 3 32
32 MARTELL, Will....... c 6-9 0-0 1-2 4 3 7 1 13 0 0 0 0 23
05 JONES, Marquis...... g 1-10 0-3 2-2 0 1 1 3 4 7 3 1 1 32
10 RICHMOND, Akeem..... g 3-12 1-7 0-0 2 2 4 3 7 0 0 0 1 36
02 EAVES, Ben.......... 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 13
12 OUTERBRIDGE, Orion.. 4-8 0-0 0-0 0 6 6 0 8 0 0 1 0 17
20 WEST, Daniel........ 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 11
22 BASKERVILLE, Anthony 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
44 MALHOIT, Anthony.... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 24-64 4-23 7-8 12 19 31 17 59 12 11 6 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-32 34.4% 2nd Half: 13-32 40.6% Game: 37.5% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-13 15.4% 2nd Half: 2-10 20.0% Game: 17.4% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 7-8 87.5% Game: 87.5% 0
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HOME TEAM: University of Florida
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
04 Young, Patric....... f 2-2 0-0 4-4 1 4 5 1 8 0 2 0 0 22
23 Tyus, Alex.......... f 4-13 0-0 2-3 2 4 6 0 10 1 1 0 0 28
25 Parsons, Chandler... f 7-12 3-4 1-2 7 5 12 1 18 5 3 1 1 34
01 Boynton, Kenny...... g 3-12 2-7 2-3 2 0 2 0 10 2 0 2 1 25
11 Walker, Erving...... g 4-8 3-6 3-4 0 2 2 2 14 5 4 0 2 27
05 Wilbekin, Scottie... 3-6 0-1 0-0 0 4 4 2 6 2 0 0 1 22
15 Yeguete, Will....... 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 8
20 McClanahan, Kyle.... 1-1 0-0 2-4 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 1 2
24 Prather, Casey...... 4-4 0-0 0-0 1 4 5 1 8 3 1 0 0 10
32 Macklin, Vernon..... 3-6 0-0 0-1 2 1 3 3 6 0 1 1 0 22
TEAM................ 5 3 8
Totals.............. 31-66 8-18 14-21 20 29 49 11 84 19 13 4 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-33 45.5% 2nd Half: 16-33 48.5% Game: 47.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 4-7 57.1% 2nd Half: 4-11 36.4% Game: 44.4% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-7 57.1% 2nd Half: 10-14 71.4% Game: 66.7% 3
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Officials: Tom Eades, Ed Corbett, Ron Groover
Technical fouls: Rhode Island-TEAM. University of Florida-None.
Attendance: 8016
Sco by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Rhode Island.................. 24 35 - 59
University of Florida......... 38 46 - 84
ID-939099
Points in the paint-URI 28,UF 36. Points off turnovers-URI 8,UF 15.
2nd chance points-URI 10,UF 15. Fast bak points-URI 0,UF 12.
Bench points-URI 8,UF 24. Sco tied-0 times. Lead changed-0 times.
Last FG-URI 2nd-00:19, UF 2nd-00:04.
Largest lead-URI None, UF by 28 2nd-00:32.
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