Chiozza steers Gators to much-needed victory
GAINESVILLE UF senior point guard Chris Chiozza turned in his most complete performance of the season to help the reeling Gators to a 72-63 win Wednesday against James Madison.
Chiozza finished with 19 points, seven assists, six rebounds and no turnovers as the Gators (7-4) picked up just their second win in six games since reaching No. 5 in the national rankings a little more than two weeks ago.
“He played one of his best games of the season,” coach Mike White said. “It was nice to see him back.”
Shooting guard KeVaughn Allen chipped in 17 points — his highest total in six games.
The Gators led by just five points, at 57-52, with 7:31 remaining, but pulled ahead on a 9-0 run that started on a 3-pointer by shooting guard Jalen Hudson. Hudson ended the run with a layup and finished with 10 points.
James Madison (4-9) could not cut the lead to fewer than seven points the rest of the way.
In two seasons at UF, Piñeiro has converted on 38-of-43 field-goal attempts for a percentage of 88.4 — best in school history.
Following a five fieldgoal day Nov. 18 against UAB, including two 50-yard efforts, Piñeiro said he did not realize until recently he would eligible to enter the NFL Draft.
“I might look into Piñeiro said at the time.
New UF coach Dan Mullen was prepared for the inevitable. Mullen convinced Evan McPherson to commit to the Gators. McPherson, the secondranked kicker in the 2018 class, previously had committed to Mullen and his staff at Mississippi State.
Piñeiro joins defensive tackle Taven Bryan and receiver Antonio Callaway as UF players leaving early for the NFL. Decisions are pending on defensive end CeCe Jefferson and offensive tackle Martez Ivey ,of Apopka. it,”