Colleges

Gators prove ready for SEC

After a shaky first half, UF wakes up in the second, showing signs of being fully healthy.

By Izzy Gould
Published January 7, 2007

GAINESVILLE - Corey Brewer pounded his chest like a bass drum.

Al Horford hammered down a thunder dunk late in the second half with authority. And Joakim Noah did a little shimmy to stir the bowl of orange and blue after his first career 3-pointer capped third-ranked Florida's 67-51 victory against Georgia on Saturday.

The Gators 14-2, 1-0 SEC regrouped from their lowest first-half output of the season for a second-half surge that resembled some of the pregame images of their national championship run. And for the first time since November it was clear they physically were at full strength and ready to take on the SEC.

"I think our whole team's feeling real good," Brewer said. "We're back now."

Brewer led the second-half charge with his second career double double to lead all scorers with 19 points. There were no lingering signs of the mononucleosis that kept him sidelined for three games. His tenacity was contagious as he added 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block in 31 minutes.

Brewer's block was a key end-to-end play sparked after Bulldogs guard Levi Stukes stripped Brewer and appeared to have a clear layup. Brewer came soaring in and slapped the ball off the glass to keep a five-point lead intact.

That's as close as the Bulldogs (8-5, 0-1) would get in the final 10 minutes.

Georgia trailed most of the second half despite outmuscling the Gators for a two-point lead at halftime. Takais Brown, Steve Newman and Billy Humphrey each scored 10, but the Bulldogs made their biggest impact on the glass, outrebounding Florida by 10 in the first 20 minutes.

Florida didn't make a shot in the final 5:44 of the first half as the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run before both teams broke for the locker rooms.

"We knew they were going to come in and bang," Brewer said. "In the first half we kind of got caught up and let them play physical."

Coach Billy Donovan said the Gators missed some offensive rebounds with Horford limited to eight first-half minutes after picking up an early foul. Horford flashed some swagger in his second start since an ankle injury. The ankle held up and he finished strong with six points and five rebounds.

Sharp shooting by guard Lee Humphrey (16 points) and Noah's spirited 13 points and 13 rebounds helped make up for Florida's flawed free-throw shooting. Donovan said he was concerned after back-to-back games at 50 percent from the line. Even Taurean Green missed a pair in the second half, halting his streak at 27.

The Gators will have little time to tinker, with Arkansas slipping into town Tuesday for a nationally televised game. The Razorbacks registered an 88-61 upset of No. 8 Alabama on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.

"It's one game out of 16," Donovan said referring to the SEC slate. "We have 15 more to go."

Florida 67

Georgia 51

[Last modified January 6, 2007, 23:41:44]