Finney-Smith answered with a 3-pointer, just Florida’s second of the first half, putting the Gators up 34-26.
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For whatever reason, Florida was tentative offensively in the first half Wednesday afternoon against Vermont at the O’Connell Center.
Egbunu had 17 points and 11 rebounds while Finney-Smith had 23 points and eight boards. “I thought defensively they were really good, especially in the first 20 minutes”.
White couldn’t say the same about his guards. Redshirt freshman Ernie Duncan is off to a hot shooting start as well, averaging 13 points, including going 16-of-29 from 3-point range, and 6-9 senior forward Ethan O’Day (12.6) is providing inside scoring punch.
“I just thought this was our most mature performance by far as far as offensive and defensive decisions”, White said. “We all need to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out we can help, each guy on the roster and each guy on the staff….”
Baskets by Egbunu, Finney-Smith and freshman guard KeVaughn Allen pushed Florida’s lead back to 61-45. Finney-Smith shot 7-of-13 and Egbunu was 7-of-14.
The Eagles lead by four late in the first half and 33-32 at halftime before the Gators used runs of 10-0 and 22-5 opening the second half to build a 16-point lead with 10 minutes remaining.
It was the first televised game (SEC Network) of the Eagles’ season, and Florida (5-1) now holds a 3-0 series lead.
Christian Terrell led Florida Gulf Coast with 9 points.
But Florida’s defense played well after intermission, dropping the Eagles’ shooting percentage to under 35 percent from the floor. “We were an immature, inconsistent first team in the first half”. White was pleased the Gators did a better job defending without fouling in the second half. Hill finished with four assists and no turnovers. The last time these teams met, Florida beat FGCU, 62-50, in an NCAA tournament Sweet 16 matchup in Arlington, Texas.
“There were some simple plays where we just lost the ball and next thing you know they’re out running”, FGCU coach Joe Dooley said. FGCU’s previous low point total this season was 73. Improved to 90-19 all-time against teams now in the Atlantic Sun….
While the Gators are pressing more under White than his predecessor, Billy Donovan, the first-year coach admitted that may not continue in the coming weeks.
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The Gators (4-1) made six of their final 11 3-point attempts after starting the game 2 of 12 from beyond the arc.
