FLORIDA WINS SIXTH STRAIGHT IN A RUNAWAY
Gators (12-4) defeat Bulldogs for eighth consecutive time.
GAINESVILLE — Egor Koulechov scored 23 points, including Florida’s first 13 of the game, and the Gators routed Mississippi State 71-54 on Wednesday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
Jalen Hudson added 12 points for Florida, which extended its winning streak against the Bulldogs (13-3, 1-2 SEC) to eight.
Chris Chiozza, who missed practice this week because of strep throat, finished with 10 points and seven assists off the bench. Keith Stone added 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Gators (12-4, 4-0) opened up a 10-point lead early in the second half when Chiozza hit a 3-pointer and converted a four-point play on consecutive possessions.
Koulechov piled on a few minutes later, hitting a 3-pointer in transition and adding a dunk off Chiozza’s steal.
In all, it was a 27-7 run that turned a close game into a lopsided affair.
Mississippi State coach Ben Howland called timeouts and made substitutions, but nothing stopped Florida’s spurt.
Maybe the most impressive aspect of Florida’s latest victory was that it came despite injury and illness. Koulechov continued to play through plantar fasciitis, and Chiozza and Hudson had been sick in recent weeks.
Florida played without freshman guard Deaundrae Ballard, who is the team’s latest to deal with an illness.
Quinndary Weatherspoon led the Bulldogs with 16 points. Abdul Ado added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Mississippi State’s Aric Holman, the team’s second-leading scorer, fouled out in 16 minutes of action. He left the floor with 13:19 remaining. It was the first time he’s been disqualified this season. He finished with seven points and four rebounds.
The Gators play at Mississippi on Saturday, looking for the team’s eighth 5-0 start in SEC play. Ole Miss is Gators coach Mike White’s alma mater.
■ Louisville 73, No. 23 Florida State 69: The Seminoles (12-4, 1-3 ACC) blew a 13-point halftime lead as the Cardinals (12-4, 2-1) rallied to win in Tallahassee.
FSU’s Terrence Mann missed a layup with two seconds left that would have tied the game. Louisville’s Ryan McMahon then made two free throws to seal it.
Mann scored 25 points and Braian Angola added 18 for the Seminoles, who led 45-32 at halftime.
Deng Adel scored 16 points and Ray Spalding added 15 to lead Louisville.
■ UConn 62, Central Florida 53: Christian Vital scored 18 points to lead the Huskies (9-7, 2-2 American) past the Golden Knights (125, 3-2) at Storrs, Conn.
Terry Larrier and Jalen Adams each added 13 points for the Huskies.
Ceasar DeJesus led UCF with 13 points. Terrell Allen scored 12 and Tacko Fall finished with 11 points.