Gators upend Boston College behind elite outings from Mann and Johnson
The rust from UF's season-opening win over Army was non-existent against Boston College on Thursday night.
The Gators imposed their will during their second game in as many days at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, dominating Boston College 90-70 to leave "Bubbleville" unscathed with two wins in two days.
"Last night, it was our first game, so everybody just came out with nervous energy," Keyontae Johnson said. "We were making simple mistakes, so today we just locked in on the scouting reports and played defense how we were supposed to."
Coming off double-digit showings against Army, Tre Mann and Johnson led the way again for their team. Mann filled the stat sheet with 17 points and six assists while the Preseason SEC Player of the Year led UF in scoring with 24 and rebounding with 12. It was his fourth-career 20-point, 10-rebound performance while he's been with the program.
Florida's speed and athleticism kept the Eagles off balance for the entirety of the first half.
Mann and Johnson combined for 15 of Florida's first 20 points, which helped balloon the Florida advantage to 11 halfway through the first half.
Defensively, after forcing 20 turnovers in Wednesday's win over Army, UF terrorized the Eagles on that side of the court, which led to 10 first-half turnovers for Boston College.
The Gators looked a lot more comfortable on offense compared to their season opener, and the results showed early.
UF head coach Mike White's squad took a 49-29 lead to the half behind 56-percent shooting from the field (18 of 32) and an efficient 6 of 11 (55 percent) from beyond the arc.
There was no halftime hangover either for Florida, as it continued to put pressure on BC's defense by scoring 16 points through the first six minutes of the second half growing the advantage to 27.
UF's lead grew to as many as 31 at one point in the second half, and it led by at least 18 points for the duration of the final 20 minutes of play.
"Offensively, I thought we were more in character in terms of shooting for the right shot," White said. "Our shot selection wasn't perfect, but it was better. We executed for each other at a higher level, but more importantly, I think defensively, we played harder. Our attention to detail, our buy-in to get stops was higher than it was yesterday. We grew today, we got better today, and that's the biggest thing."
Overall, Florida had five scorers in double figures behind 13 assists and finished the game shooting 56 percent (35-of-62).
While the offense was efficient, the opportunities created by the defense ended up being one of the key factors in the win.
White's team forced 17 total BC turnovers and scored 21 points off those mistakes.
Florida (2-0) will now head back to Gainesville and prepare for their home debut on Sunday against Stetson (0-1) looking to improve to 3-0 on the young season.
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