The third game in The Pavilion did not follow the script of the first two for Ole Miss, as former Rebel guard, and Florida head coach Michael White came away with an 80-71 road victory on Saturday night.
“It was a special night for me. Oxford and Ole Miss mean a lot to me. I love this place and I always will,” White said “More importantly, It was very much a quality win for this team that needed to break through on the road against a high-major opponent.”
It was Florida’s night from start to finish in this one, as they led for all 40 minutes and led by as many as 21 at one point. The Gators shot nearly 50 percent from the field and were 11-20 from behind the three point line in the win.
KeVaughn Allen Led Florida in scoring with 27, and was 6-7 from three point rage.
“The one guy we can’t leave is the one guy we did leave,” Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy said “We made a big emphasis all week on this is the one guy that you cannot let get going. Because if he gets going, he is capable of putting up huge numbers, and I think we all witnessed that first hand.”
“He’s just been streaky, and it’s probably been like that for a lot of the collegiate freshmen across the country,” White said of Allen’s performance. “He’s a young guy. He’s finding his way and he’s learning.”
The Gators started fast, making their first five shots from the field, and eight of their first ten to jump out to a 26-9 lead nine minutes into the game.
“They were loose and free. They’d only won one road game at Navy, the season opener. They had struggled on the road,” Kennedy said. “But what do you need on the road? You need some confidence early, and we certainly fueled that.”
Ole Miss could never really get into a rhythm offensively, and struggled from the field, especially early, missing nine of their first 12 shots and shooting 38.5% from the field in the first half.
It didn’t help that senior point guard, and leading scorer Stefan Moody picked up two fouls just two and half minutes into the game.
Florida entered the halftime locker room with a 49-30 lead.
The Gators shooting clinic didn’t carry over to the second half, as they were just 6-20, but Ole Miss was unable to take advantage, as the lead never got closer than 11 through the first 18 minutes and Florida went on to win handily. The Rebels outscored the Gators 41-31 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the large halftime deficit.
“We’re just looking for energy. We’ve gotta get more athletic. I think everybody can see that,” Kennedy said.
Doian Finney-Smith had 17 and Chris Chiozza had 11 for Florida in the win. Stefan Moody led all Ole Miss scorers with 22, and Sebastian Saiz had 17.
Ole Miss was dominated on the glass for the majority of the game, falling in the rebounding margin 39-29, and it was a major factor in the defeat.
With the loss, Ole Miss fell to 12-5 (2-3). Florida improved to 11-6 (3-2). The Rebels return to action at home on Tuesday against South Carolina at 6 pm.
