Gainesville, FL – Patric Young posted a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds to go along with six blocks, as the seventh-ranked Florida Gators overcame a subpar shooting effort to beat the Savannah State Tigers, 58-40, at the O'Connell Center.
Mike Rosario also scored 13 points for the Gators (4-0), who were never threatened despite connecting on just 35.4 percent of their shots.
"Offensively, we were not great tonight at all," said Florida coach Billy Donovan. "If we did not defend like we defended the whole entire game, we would have been in a dog fight all the way to the end. Defense saved us."
In the second half, Gators senior guard Kenny Boynton left the game with a left ankle sprain and didn't return. The team's leading scorer, Boynton made only one of his six shots and finished with five points.
Donovan doesn't expect Boynton to miss any games.
Rashad Hassan and Cedric Smith scored 11 points apiece for the Tigers (3-3), whose previous two losses this season had been by three points each to Middle Tennessee and UCF.
"Our guys kind of came out timid early; couldn't make shots," said Savannah State coach Horace Broadnax. "We played a good defensive game, but you have to put the ball in the basket."
Florida held Savannah State to 24 percent shooting over the opening 20 minutes on its way to building a 28-14 halftime lead. The Gators entered play ranked third in the nation in field-goal percentage defense at 29.7.
Game Notes
Erik Murphy supplied 10 points for the Gators, who held an 18-6 advantage in made free throws ... Florida improved to 24-0 all-time against MEAC teams ... The Gators posted a 113-67 victory over Savannah State in the school's only previous meeting on Jan. 18, 2006.
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