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Sports

No.13 Gators seek to cool off Blazers

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Gainesville, FL – The 13th-ranked Florida Gators play host to conference test of the season at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville.

This will be just the third all-time meeting between UAB and Florida. The Blazers won on a neutral court in 1997 before the Gators defeated them in Gainesville in 2006.

The Blazers enter tonight's game on a three-game winning streak after handling Alabama A&M 92-58 their last time out. UAB has a 5-7 overall record after the win and will also begin their conference season after their match up with the Gators. Head coach Mike Davis saw his team lose seven of nine games prior to its current win streak. UAB shot 62.5 percent from the floor in their win over Alabama A&M, its best shooting performance since January 19, 2009. The Blazers have been good on the boards lately, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 11 rpg in their last five games.

Cameron Moore was named Conference USA player of the week and deserves a lot of the credit for the Blazers' winning streak. Moore has averaged 17.7 ppg and 16.3 rpg in his last three outings. Moore is the anchor on the defensive end of the floor with 3.6 blocks per game, which is sixth best in the nation. Jordan Swing has played well lately to help out Moore. The sophomore forward has averaged 13 points and 5.2 rpg in his last five outings.

Florida's offense is a well-oiled machine as it is averaging 85.9 ppg (fourth best in the nation). The Gators have been held under 70 points on just one occasion this season as they have run through their schedule to an 11-3 record. Two of Florida's losses were to then top-five ranked opponents (Syracuse and Ohio State), and the third loss came to Rutgers last Thursday in a double-overtime thriller. Head coach Billy Donovan got his team to bounce back to take down Yale 90-70 on Saturday. Florida is also a good team on the defensive end of the floor, limiting opponents to 67.3 ppg.

Kenny Boynton scored 26 points for the second straight game in Florida's win over Yale. Boynton has hit a three-pointer in 30 consecutive games coming into tonight. Boynton is third in the SEC in scoring with 19.4 ppg. Erik Murphy has been on fire lately, scoring in double figures in five straight games since returning to the starting lineup. The 6-10 forward is the SEC's top three- point shooter with a 52.4 percent shooting rate from beyond the arc.