Allen sparks Gators; ’Canes open with win
GAINESVILLE — From a no-show to stealing the show, KeVaughn Allen has had quite a roller coaster week for the Florida Gators.
Late Friday night, Allen was riding high as he led the Gators to a 76-46 win against Charleston Southern in UF’s home opener.
Allen led the Gators with 14 points and had a careerhigh five steals as his team bounced back from Tuesday’s 21-point loss at Florida State.
“I think KeVaughn Allen set the tone for us from the tip,” coach Mike White said. “He led us with his effort.”
The Gators followed Allen’s lead.
“When he gets going, he gets the whole team going,” forward Keith Stone said. “He doesn’t talk much but he shows up with his play, his energy and all that.”
No UF player struggled in Tallahassee like Allen, who was held scoreless for the first time since January of his freshman season. The performance was especially troubling for the senior shooting guard following his sub-par 2017-18 season.
“I’m sure he was challenged the minute he got on the bus in Tallahassee,” Charleston Southern coach Barclay Radebaugh said.
Against Charleston Southern, Allen resembled the explosive scorer who entered Friday night ranked 30th all-time in points at UF.
Allen scored the Gators’ first three baskets. After a free throw by Stone made it 7-3, Allen then stole the inbounds pass and made a behind-the-back pass to Deaundrae Ballard for a layup. Ballard was fouled and made the free throw to push UF’s advantage to 10-3.
The Gators (1-1) could not shake Charleston Southern for much of the first half, but a 3-pointer by Allen gave the UF a 28-17 lead, its first double-digit advantage.
UF continue to build its lead and took a 36-20 advantage into the locker room following a driving layup by freshman point guard Andrew Nembhard, who finished with seven points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and just one turnovers.
“Terrific,” White said of Nembhard. “That’s who he is, he’s a surgeon … extremely quick thinker.”
Allen opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give him 14 points. Ballard, with 12 points, and Jalen Hudson (10) joined Allen as doublefigure scorers for UF.
Guard Christian Keeling led Charleston Southern with 18 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
Pretty much everyone got in on the act for the Gators, who received 34 points off the bench and generated 24 points off 19 Charleston Southern turnovers.
At one point, the Buccaneers missed 19 straight shots.
’Canes win: Miami opened its season with a noticeable absence but still found sufficient contributions for a convincing victory.
Chris Lykes scored a career-high 22 points as the Hurricanes defeated Lehigh 83-62 Friday night. Anthony Lawrence finished with a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds and DJ Vasiljevic scored 16 points for Miami.
Miami forward Dewan Hernandez, the team’s top returning scorer, did not play. According to a statement released by the university, Hernandez will be withheld from competition as the school and the NCAA review his eligibility.
Hernandez, who officially changed his last name from Huell during the offseason, declared for the 2018 NBA draft but did not retain an agent. Hernandez withdrew from the draft to return to Miami for his junior season.