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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- It was a mismatch for Florida's record
book.
Brett Nelson scored a career-high 22 points and was one of eight
Florida players to score in double figures as the Gators (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 AP) beat Florida A&M 125-50 Sunday.
The 75-point margin of victory was the biggest in school history
and it was also the first time the Gators had eight players score
10 or more points in a game.
"This was good for our basketball team as far as our chemistry
and getting better," Florida coach Billy Donovan said.
"Collectively, this game is the best our guards have played all
season long at one time. When I look at this basketball game, I
don't really get caught up on the score as much as I'm looking at
what are these guys doing offensively. Are they doing things that
we'll be able to do against the Tennessees, Kentuckys and people of
that nature?"
Udonis Haslem added 19 points for Florida (5-1), while Major
Parker had 18.
Florida's biggest lead was 125-45 in the game's final minute.
Three players, including Nelson with 16 points, scored in double
digits during the first half as Florida took a 65-18 halftime lead.
The output equaled the second-best first-half performance in school
history.
"Even though we were winning by so much, I think we kept our
intensity and we kept playing hard," Nelson said. "It's always
fun when you're out there playing hard and doing the right
things."
Florida has won 19 straight non-conference games at home, the
second-longest streak in team history. The longest run was 21 games
from 1983-88. The Gators have won 10 straight overall in the
O'Connell Center, the eighth double-digit string in school history.
Jason Miles had 13 points for Florida A&M (2-6).
"It was a guarantee game," Florida A&M coach Mickey Clayton
said, referring to the money his school made by playing a road game
against a national program. "We were instructed to play it. (But)
make no mistake about it, we didn't come here to play the game and
not compete."
Florida A&M shot just 27 percent (16-for-60).
"There's not a lot positives that you can draw from a game like
this," Clayton said. "We knew we would be young this year. To go
right into the lion's den so to speak, it's a lot for a young team
to do. The best thing we can do is try and forget about it."
Florida scored the first eight points en route to a 24-10 lead
seven minutes into the game. Parker hit two 3-pointers and Haslem
added seven points, all from in close.
Haslem scored four points in the span of one second, putting
Florida up 31-13 with 9:13 left. He connected on two free throws
after an intentional foul call, and hit a layup on the ensuing
possession.
Florida closed out the first half outscoring Florida A&M 28-3 -- including a 20-0 run -- over the final seven minutes to take the
47-point halftime lead.
Florida scored 67 points in the first half against Chicago State
in February 1972.
Florida A&M committed 19 turnovers in the first half, which
resulted in 30 Florida points.
Brent Wright had seven points in the opening four minutes of the
second half, helping Florida extend its lead to 85-22. Bonell
Colas' dunk with 11 minutes remaining gave the Gators a 101-29
lead.
The victory gave Florida a sweep of its first home games on
consecutive days since December 1982. The Gators beat Rutgers 79-65
Saturday.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Florida A&M Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
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