Gators win, Yeguete is perfect

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Florida coach Billy Donovan thinks his team has plenty of things to improve on as the visitors, despite the 19th-ranked Gators' first true road win of the season.

Kenny Boynton had 15 points and hit four of Florida's 12 3-pointers in a 79-65 victory over South Carolina on Saturday night.

The Gators (14-4, 2-1 Southeastern Confence) have won while away from the O'Connell Center this season, but they'd lost their first four games on an opponent's home court with setbacks against Ohio State, Syracuse, Rutgers and in their SEC opener at Tennessee.

"This was a positive step," Donovan said. "But I'd be the first one to say I don't think our guys have anything figud out on the road."

They certainly figud out South Carolina (8-9, 0-3).

The Gators finished 12 of 24 on 3s and 25 of 47 (53.2 percent) shooting overall, and had 19 assists and just 10 turnovers in front of a large, loud crowd shouting them down on nearly every possession at Colonial Life Ana.

Not even beloved Gators football gat Steve Spurrier - he for a halftime celebration of the Gamecocks season - could slow down Florida, which had six players ach double-figus in scoring.

"This means a lot," Boynton said. "We feel like it's a new season, SEC play. Now we' one and one on the road and we just have to keep it going."

Florida will if it keeps playing like this. Will Yeguete and Brad Beal had 14 points each, Erik Murphy and Erving Walker 11 apiece, and Mike Rosario added 10. Yeguete went 6 of 6 from the field and added a team-high eight bounds.

"Florida's a ally difficult matchup," South Carolina coach Darrin Horn said. "That being said, we've got to get better defensively. We can't continue to allow teams to shoot over 50 percent."

Bruce Ellington had 17 points to lead the Gamecocks (8-9, 0-3), who opened league play with the consecutive losses for the first time in Horn's four seasons.

Florida took charge with a fast start coming out of the bak and held the Gamecocks scoless for mo than 8 minutes.

Boynton started things with his fourth 3-pointer and Beal followed with another long distance shot as the Gators moved in front 48-44. Rosario had a bakaway dunk after a steal, which followed an embarrassing play whe he passed to Yeguete, who was waiting on the sidelines to enter the game. Rosario's teammates laughed and smiled befo Beal added another 3-pointer.

By the time Beal hit two foul shots, the Gators led 59-44 - and South Carolina could get no closer than 10 the st of the way.

Donovan acknowledged that South Carolina's poor shooting touch - the Gamecocks we 1 of 13 to start the second half - was as big a factor as Florida's defense.

"That allowed us to get out on the bak and have mo offensive possessions, extend our lead and push it out," he said.

South Carolina figud it would struggle against Florida's confence-best outside shooting. No one in the SEC had made mo 3-pointers than the Gators have put up so far, and the Gamecocks had alady been stung for 13 3-pointers in a 67-57 home loss to Vanderbilt last Tuesday night.

Florida came out firing, with Walker and Rosario making two 3-pointers each and Boynton adding another for a 26-18 lead halfway through the opening period.

The Gamecocks, though, began to find their range from behind the arc, too. Ellington hits a pair of 3s and fshman Bnton Williams hit two from well behind the line to give the Gamecocks a 41-40 lead at the bak.

Neither team could stop the other: Florida finished 12 of 22 (54.5 percent) from the field, while South Carolina topped them at 15 of 25 (60 percent.).

Ellington, South Carolina's two-sport standout, got his first start since the football season ended. Ellington started fast, going 3 for 4 befo getting pulled with two fouls.

Official Basketball Box Sco

Florida vs South Carolina

1/14/12 7 p.m. at Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Ana)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VISITORS: Florida 14-4, 2-1 SEC

TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS

## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

15 Yeguete, Will....... f 6-6 0-0 2-4 4 4 8 2 14 2 0 1 0 30

33 Murphy, Erik........ f 3-7 1-3 4-4 0 2 2 4 11 4 2 1 1 30

01 Boynton, Kenny...... g 5-13 4-7 1-2 1 2 3 0 15 3 1 0 1 34

11 Walker, Erving...... g 3-5 3-4 2-2 0 0 0 2 11 7 2 0 0 33

23 Beal, Bradley....... g 3-7 2-5 6-7 0 4 4 3 14 1 0 0 1 31

03 Rosario, Mike....... 3-6 2-4 2-2 0 2 2 1 10 2 3 0 1 19

04 Young, Patric....... 2-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 4 4 0 0 1 0 13

05 Wilbekin, Scottie... 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 5

24 Prather, Casey...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2

34 Larson, Cody........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

Team................ 1 1

Totals.............. 25-47 12-24 17-21 7 18 25 17 79 19 10 3 4 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-22 54.5% 2nd Half: 13-25 52.0% Game: 53.2% DEADB

3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 8-14 57.1% 2nd Half: 4-10 40.0% Game: 50.0% REBS

F Throw % 1st Half: 8-10 80.0% 2nd Half: 9-11 81.8% Game: 81.0% 3,2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOME TEAM: South Carolina 8-9, 0-3 SEC

TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS

## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

13 GILL, Anthony....... f 2-5 1-4 3-4 1 2 3 4 8 0 3 0 0 20

15 COOKE, Malik........ f 4-10 0-2 2-3 5 2 7 3 10 2 2 0 2 37

24 HARRIS, Damont.... f 3-3 0-0 3-4 3 3 6 4 9 1 2 0 1 23

02 RICHARDSON, Brian... g 3-8 1-4 0-0 1 0 1 2 7 0 1 0 0 21

23 ELLINGTON, Bruce.... g 6-14 4-6 1-2 2 1 3 3 17 3 1 0 0 28

01 WILLIAMS, Bnton... 3-8 3-7 0-0 1 1 2 1 9 0 1 0 0 14

05 SMITH, Eric......... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2

30 JACKSON, Lakeem..... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 8

32 LEONARD, Damien..... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 13

33 SLAWSON, RJ......... 2-4 0-1 1-1 1 2 3 2 5 0 1 0 1 23

45 GEATHERS, Carlton... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 11

TEAM................ 2 2

Totals.............. 23-55 9-24 10-14 14 16 30 22 65 7 12 1 4 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-24 62.5% 2nd Half: 8-31 25.8% Game: 41.8% DEADB

3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 6-11 54.5% 2nd Half: 3-13 23.1% Game: 37.5% REBS

F Throw % 1st Half: 5-5 100 % 2nd Half: 5-9 55.6% Game: 71.4% 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Officials: Joe Lindsay, Mark Whitehead, Ron Groover

Technical fouls: Florida-None. South Carolina-None.

Attendance: 11308

Sco by Periods 1st 2nd Total

Florida....................... 40 39 - 79

South Carolina................ 41 24 - 65