GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida scored the first 21 points, delivering one of the most complete stretches of basketball in coach Mike White’s four seasons, and handled Butler 77-43 Saturday.
- Florida scored the first 21 points of the game to defeat Butler
- The Bulldogs defeated the Gators five weeks ago in the Battle 4 Atlantis
- Florida made 9 of its first 12 shots
The Gators (8-4) overwhelmed the Bulldogs (9-4) from the opening tip and provided Florida fans with a second lopsided performance in the span of a few hours; the football team drubbed Michigan 41-15 in the Peach Bowl earlier in the day.
The basketball teams played just five weeks ago, with Butler winning 61-54 in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. The rematch turned out to be a mismatch.
Florida made nine of its first 12 shots, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and jumped ahead 21-0 on Jalen Hudson’s banked-in 3-pointer with 11:59 to play in the half. The Gators were equally efficient on the defensive end, notching four blocks and four steals.
Butler didn’t help its cause by missing its first 11 shots and turning it over five times in the opening nine minutes.
Jordan Tucker finally ended the drought with a straightaway 3-pointer with 11:02 to play in the half. The Gators answered on the other end with Andrew Nembhard’s trey, another sign everything would go Florida’s way at home.
Keith Stone, who scored seven points in the 21-0 spurt, finished with 12 to go along with six rebounds and two assists. It was Florida’s longest run since a 21-0 spurt against Virginia in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Noah Locke added 12 points for the Gators, and KeVaughn Allen and Jalen Hudson chipped in 11 apiece. Keyontae Johnson finished with 10 points, giving the Gators five players in double figures. Kevarrius Hayes had two points, four rebounds, three blocks, two steals, four turnovers and four fouls.
Kamar Baldwin led Butler with nine points. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 46-18.
The Gators, who have a three-game winning streak for the first time this season, pushed the lead to 37 on Dontay Bassett’s 3-pointer with 10:30 to play.
