Gators Top Vermont, Florida Gulf Coast Up Next

The Gators pulled away from the Vermont Catamounts Wednesday for an 86-62 win in front of 8,003 at the O’Connell Center.

Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith scored a season-high 20 points, pulled down six rebounds, along with six assists and one turnover. Devin Robinson got his first start of the season and answered with 15 points and team-high eight rebounds, while sophomore John Egbunu added 13 points and seven boards.

The Gators, now 4-1, led 34-29 at halftime and shot just 34.5 percent in the first half, but 50 percent after the break leading to the offensive explosion in the second half. Defensively, the Gators limited the Catamounts to 37 percent shooting from the field and had a 26-18 advantage on the boards.

The Gators now turn their attention to Florida Gulf Coast who is 3-2 on the season. This will be the Gators fourth game in seven days, including the second in three. The Gators and the Eagles have met twice, with one far more notable than the other. On December 10, 2008, the Gators defeated the Eagles 69-44, but it was on March 29, 2013 the two squared off in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA South Region, where the Gators prevailed 62-50 at Arlington, Texas. Florida is 89-19 all-time against teams currently in the Atlantic Sun Conference, with just two losses the last 25 years, both coming against Jacksonville.

Tip is Friday at 6:30 p.m. from the O’Connell Center. Catch all the action here on WRUF.com