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UF: 20 Wins For 10th Straight Year

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By JENNA MARINA, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 21, 2008

GAINESVILLE - On a night when the Gators hit 11 treys, it was a pair of free throws that finally iced the game.

Up by only one point with seven seconds left Wednesday night, Florida freshman Jai Lucas sank two free throws to give Florida a much-needed 85-82 victory against South Carolina.

After being stuck on 19 wins since Feb. 9, the Gators finally earned their 20th win for the 10th consecutive season. Florida is one of only six schools to have reached 20 wins every year since the 1998-99 season.

"I don't want to say that I'm surprised but going into this year with this group of kids with as many freshmen, for us to be 20-7 right now, I think our kids have done a remarkable job," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "I'm really proud of our kids."

The Gators (7-5 SEC) still have four more conference games, including Tennessee and a road game at Kentucky, but Wednesday's win alleviated some of the pressure surrounding Florida's bubble status for the NCAA Tournament.

"This was definitely a big win. Maybe the most important win of the season," Dan Werner said. "We needed this win. If we let this one slip away, we'd definitely be in trouble."

The Gators recaptured their recently missing offensive game by jumping out a 26-15 lead, hitting 11 of their first 15 shots. But South Carolina (12-13, 4-7) battled back with a 10-0 run before Florida freshman Adam Allen led another offensive attack.

Allen looked confident as he drained two of his three treys during Florida's 14-2 run to help Florida enter the half with a 48-36 lead.

The Gamecocks refused to roll over, however, and South Carolina chipped away at Florida's once comfortable 17-point lead to pull within three.

The Gamecocks gained even more hope of a comeback when forward Dominique Archie took a charge on Florida's next possession. With a chance to reclaim the lead, South Carolina took a step back as Archie was called for double dribbling.

Werner, the Gators' king of shooting woes, connected on a 3 to save the Gators' lead at 78-72. The sophomore connected on three treys during the game, making up for his 2-for-13 3-point shooting during last week's two games.

South Carolina's Devan Downey hit two layups and Evaldas Baniulis sank two treys to keep the game within reach.

Freshman Nick Calathes' 17 points led Florida.

INSIDE THE GAME

PLAYER OF THE GAME: South Carolina's Evaldas Baniulis and his hot hands. The forward sank six of eight 3-pointers.

STAT OF THE GAME: All five of Florida's starters combined for 67 points as each starter scored in double digits.

TURNING POINT: South Carolina pulled within three points but Dan Werner's 3-pointer increased Florida's lead to 78-72 and gave the Gators enough cushion to close out the game.

UP NEXT: Florida plays at Georgia at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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