Koulechov leads Gators to a rout
GAINESVILLE – All shooting guard Egor Koulechov could do was smile.
He was not alone on Monday night.
A UF fan base starved for excitement and offense lately was treated to plenty of both during the No. 8 Gators’ 116-74 season-opening win against Gardner-Webb.
With the school’s football program piling up losses and in coaching limbo, Mike White’s squad lived to its top-10 ranking while Koulechov proved to be as good as advertised.
The highly touted Rice graduate transfer hit just one of his first four shots but hardly missed again on his way to 23 first-half points and 34 overall, tying Tom Baxley for the most point by a UF player during his debut. Baxley scored 34 points in 1962 against Miami and future star Rick Barry.
Only former All-American Neal Walk, with 37 points against Jacksonville in 1967, has scored more points for the Gators during a season opener.
“Every time I got the ball, I was looking for him,” senior point guard Chris Chiozza said. “When he shot it, everyone knew it was going.”
Nicknamed “3gor” for his long-range shooting prowess, Koulechov finished 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. His first 3-pointer for his new team ignited an 11-0 run to break open a close game.
The 3-pointers kept coming from Koulechov and the Gators, who reeled off six more on their next nine baskets. When Koulechov effortlessly hit a 3-pointer in transition during the torrid run, his face lit up as a couple of teammates ran to him.
“You have to have fun when you play,” he said.
Koulechov was not finished, even if Gardner-Webb was.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior hit a 23-foot 3-pointer to give him five by halftime as the Gators led 55-32.
“I’ve been waiting for this day since I got here,” Koulechov said. “It’s a great feeling, especially when we win.”
The Gators clearly were ready to kick off the season.
Following a laser show during player introductions, UF opened with some fireworks when Jalen Hudson found KeVaughn Allen for a high-flying alley-oop five seconds into the game.
A few early defensive lapses allowed GardnerWebb to hang around and even take a 14-13 lead. Looking for the right combination of players, White used nine different Gators during the first five minutes.
But Koulechov and the Gators soon found their offensive rhythm. UF shot 58 percent from the field (40 of 69) and 51.7 percent from 3-point range (15 of 29).
Shooting guard Jalen Hudson, another highly touted transfer (Virginia Tech), chipped in 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Chiozza was a game-time decision because of a shoulder injury but he did not play tentatively. With the game tied 10-10, he ended up on the scorer’s table diving for a loose ball.
Chiozza, though, finished with just five points, showing some rust as he was 1-of-4 shooting. He did contribute six rebounds and totaled six assists with just one turnover.
The Gators’ 27th straight season-opening win kicked off a busy week for White’s squad. UF is scheduled to host North Florida on Thursday and New Hampshire on Sunday.
“We shot it at a really, really high clip ... we can’t count on it,” White said. “A lot of games in a very little bit of time. We need to rejuvenate. It’s on us quickly.”