Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 74, South Carolina 58
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
Officials: # Lee Cassell, # Ron Groover, # Antinio Petty
Attendance: 12147

No. 11 Florida 74, South Carolina 58: Scottie Wilbekin led all scorers with 17 points as the Gators rolled over the visiting Gamecocks in the SEC opener for both sides.

Casey Prather and Patric Young added 13 points apiece, combining to shoot 11-for-12 for Florida (12-2, 1-0 SEC), which tied a school record with its 24th straight home win. Will Yeguete, Michael Frazier II and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed eight points each for the Gators, who won their sixth straight overall.

Tyrone Johnson's 12 points off the bench led the offense for South Carolina (7-7, 0-1), which saw its four-game winning streak halted. Sindarius Thornwell and Brenton Williams each notched 10 points for the Gamecocks, who committed 21 turnovers.

Florida waltzed to a 34-21 lead at halftime, forcing South Carolina into 15 first half turnovers with full-court pressure. The Gamecocks didn't help their own cause early, starting 0-for-7 from the floor and finishing the opening 20 minutes only 6-for-19.

South Carolina edged closer after halftime by trimming Florida's lead to 43-35, capped by a three-point play from Desmond Ringer just over six minutes into the second half. The Gators answered with just under 10 minutes to play with an 11-0 run, sparked by five points from Frazier, to regain control and the double-digit lead would remain in tact down the stretch as the Gamecocks never again threatened.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Florida won its fifth in a row against South Carolina and improved to 41-22 in the all-time series. ... The Gamecocks edged the Gators on the glass, collecting 28 rebounds to Florida's 25, after Florida had outrebounded its last opponents by a double-digit margin. ... Young pulled down a game-high seven rebounds, while Finney-Smith dished out five assists to lead all players.
Top Game Performances
 
South Carolina   Florida
Tyrone Johnson 12 Scoring Scottie Wilbekin 17
Duane Notice 3 Assists Dorian Finney-Smith 5
Tyrone Johnson 6 Rebounds Patric Young 7
Tyrone Johnson 6 Free Throws Made Scottie Wilbekin 4
Sindarius Thornwell 3 Steals Patric Young 3
N/A Blocks Dorian Finney-Smith 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
South Carolina 58 43.9 5-10 17-26 9 25 0 7 21
Florida 74 57.8 5-19 17-24 16 24 4 10 15