Texas A&M
13-11, 5-7SEC
Florida
20-5, 10-2SEC
Men's Basketball Falls at No. 17 Florida
Feb 11, 2017 | Men's Basketball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Justin Leon scored 18 points, Canyon Barry added 12 and No. 17 Florida overcame a lackluster start to beat Texas A&M 71-62 on Saturday.
John Egbunu notched his first double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds, as the Gators (20-5, 10-2 Southeastern Conference) won their sixth consecutive game. After winning each of the last five by double digits, this one was considerably closer than most expected.
The Aggies (13-11, 5-7) led 42-41 midway through the second half and looked like they might get their first win in five tries against a ranked team this season. But Florida used a 24-10 run to take the lead and pull away. It started and ended with 3-pointers by Leon, who finished one point shy of tying his career high.
The senior made 7 of 15 shots, including four from behind the arc.
Barry made all four of his under-handed free throws and broke the school record for consecutive makes from the charity stripe. He has made 39 in a row, topping the former mark (37) set by Taurean Green during the 2005-06 season.
Chris Chiozza was the fourth Florida player in double figures, finishing with 11 points.
Robert Williams led the Aggies with 18 points and 12 rebounds, the freshman's seventh double-double of the season.
Texas A&M's undoing was 20 turnovers. It surely didn't help that the Aggies made 4 of 18 from 3-point range and finished with just nine assists.
Texas A&M Basketball
Postgame Notes
No. 17 Florida 71, Texas A&M 62
Feb. 11, 2017 ? Exactech Arena (Gainesville, Fla.)
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M saw its two-game SEC road winning streak snapped Saturday at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Fla., falling to No. 17 Florida 71-62.
- The all-time series between the schools now stands at 5-4 in favor of the Gators.
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M was guilty of 20 turnovers on the afternoon leading to 20 points off turnovers for the Gators, while Florida had 13 giveaways that contributed 15 points for the Aggies.
- The Aggie shot 10-for-11 from the free throw line for a season-best 90.9 percentage, but converted on just four of 18 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc (20 percent).
- The Gators took a 29-27 lead into the intermission after A&M closed the opening half on a 14-5 run.
- A&M used the starting lineup combination of Admon Gilder, JC Hampton, Tonny Trocha-Morelos, Robert Williams and Tyler Davis for the third time this season (2-1).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Freshman Robert Williams collected his team-leading seventh double-double of the season, finishing with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds … The Vivian, La., native also blocked four Gator shot attempts, giving him 61 swats on the season ... Williams became just the seventh player in Texas A&M history to block 60 or more shots in a season.
- Sophomore Admon Gilder continues to play Ironman for the Aggies, playing all 40 minutes for the seventh straight game … The Dallas native scored 12 points to reach double figures for the eighth straight game and 30th time in his career ... Additionally, Gilder registered a season-high five steals against the Gators, his 16th game this season with multiple swipes.
- Sophomore Tyler Davis matched Gilder's 12 points and added eight rebounds, a block and a steal in 31 minutes of action … Davis was limited to two points in the opening 20 minutes against the Gators, but exploded for 10 minutes after the intermission on 4-of-7 shooting in the second half.
- Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy fell to 112-81 in his sixth season at Texas A&M and 323-260 in 19 seasons as head coach.
UP NEXT
- Texas A&M pays a visit to Memorial Gym in Nashville where it will take on Vanderbilt Thursday night ... The game is slated to be televised on ESPN2 with tip off at 6 p.m. (CT).
