ChompTalk.com

Final: Florida 70, Xavier 65

Photo by Mitchell Layton / Getty Images

After defeating St Joseph’s and Miami on Thursday and Friday, the Florida Gators advanced to the championship game against the Xavier Musketeers in the 2019 Charleston Classic. The Gators escaped with a 70-65 win and moved to 5-2 on the season.

The Gators shot 54% from the field and went 7-18 (38.9%) from the three point line.

How it Happened:

Kerry Blackshear scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Andrew Nembhard and Keyontae Johnson combined for 30 points in the Gators’ 70-65 win over Xavier on Sunday night. Nembhard shot 50% on 5-10 shooting and 3-6 from beyond the three point line. Johnson went 6-10, including 0-2 from behind the three point line.

The first few minutes of the game was a turnover battle between both teams. The Gators finished the first half with 8 turnovers to Xavier’s 10. Florida led 39-29 at the half.

Xavier went on a 7-0 run late in the second half to cut Florida’s lead to 68-62. Quentin Goodwin for the Musketeers hit a clutch three-point shot with 1:08 left to cut the lead to 68-65. Blackshear was fouled with :07 left in the game and made both free throws to give the Gators a 70-65 advantage. That would be enough to give the Gators a momumental win early in the season.

With the win, Florida moves to 5-2 and Xavier is now 5-1. The win should put the Gators back into the Top 25 on Monday.

Individual Stats:

• Nembhard: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• Johnson: 15 points, 5 rebounds
• Blackshear: 14 points, 10 rebounds
• Locke: 13 points, 3-5 3FG

Team Stats:

• FG%: 54
• 3FG%: 39
• FT%: 73
• Reb+/-: 0
• Bench Points: 9
• TOs: 16

Of Note:

Kerry Blackshear and Keyontae Johnson were both named All-Tournament.

In addition, Johnson earned the Charleston Classic MVP honors.

What’s next:

Up next, the Gators host Marshall at Exactech Arena in Gainesville on Friday at 9 pm Eastern Time on SEC Network.