FINAL: FLORIDA 116, GARDNER WEBB 74
| 1st | 2nd | OT | FINAL | |
| GW | 32 | 42 | X | 74 |
| FLORIDA | 55 | 61 | X | 116 |
GAINESVILLE, FL- Egor Koulechov was one of the top transfers after the 2016-17 season, and Florida coach Mike White landed the stud three point shooter. It didn’t take long for Gator Nation to realize they got a good one. Koulechov scored 34 points in his debut, leading the #8 Gators to a 116-74 domination of Gardner Webb.
Koulechov finished 11-17 from the field (including 6-9 from 3-point range) and added five rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals to his stat line. This set the school record for most points in a debut, surpassing Tom Baxley’s 32 point debut against Miami in 1962.
The Gators began the game with authority as junior guard KeVaughn Allen completed an alley-oop from Jalen Hudson just three seconds into the contest. The first eight minutes of the game were fairly even matched, in fact, the Running Bulldogs actually led 14-13 with just under 12 minutes to go in the first half. Koulechov hit a three pointer with 11:42 remaining to give Florida the lead, and the Gators never trailed again.
The Gators shot a smooth 58% from the field while limiting Gardner Webb to just 42% (which increased significantly over the last ten minutes after Florida emptied their bench). Florida attempted 29 three-pointers, converting 15. Florida was credited with assists on 26 of their 40 made field goals and only turned the ball over 8 times.
Florida was able to use their entire roster of active players, including former managers turned walk-ons Andrew Fava and Mak Krause. Eleven of the Gators players scored in the game and four managed double-digit points. Hudson (16), freshman Deaundrae Ballard (14), freshman Mike Okauru (13) joined Koulechov in double figures. Sophomore Gorjok Gak led the Gators with 7 rebounds and senior Chris Chiozza finished with six assists.
The Gators improve to 1-0 for the 27th consecutive year and will face North Florida on Thursday.
RECORDS:
- GARDNER WEBB: 0-2
- FLORIDA: 1-0
Team Stats:
| GW | FLORIDA | |
| FG % | 42 | 58 |
| 3-PT % | 30 | 52 |
| FT % | 71 | 78 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 9 | 12 |
| Total Rebounds | 29 | 43 |
| Assists | 9 | 26 |
| Steals | 2 | 6 |
| Blocks | 0 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 8 |
What’s Next:
Florida will face North Florida at Exactech Arena on Thursday at 7:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. North Florida is 0-3 after losses to #2 Michigan State, Michigan, and VCU.
Florida vs North Florida
November 16, 2017
7:00 PM / Exactech Arena