The No. 3 seed Florida Gators controlled the No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament in the South Region Friday night, 62-50.
The high flying Eagles scored 11 unanswered points early in the first half to take a 15-4 lead. They looked just like the exciting, alley-oop throwing, fast-paced team that had shocked the country in their first two games, but their run came too early.
The Gators' Michael Frazier II hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the Gators on a 16-0 run. Florida stepped up the defensive pressure on the Eagles, forcing 20 turnovers throughout the game.
The Gators led by as many as 13 points in the second half as the Eagles were unable to cut the deficit to less than seven points.
Florida won this game with extra possessions. The turnover margin was 20-10 in favor of the Gators, who also outrebounded the Eagles 13-5 on the offensive glass. The extra 18 possessions led to 13 extra field goal attempts for the Gators. The Gators also attempted 12 more free throws than the Eagles, making 14 free throws compared to Florida Gulf Coast's six made free throws.
Mike Rosario led the Gators with 15 points and five rebounds. Scottie Wilbekin added 13 points while Casey Prather contributed 11 points.
Sherwood Brown led the Eagles with 14 points and six rebounds. Chase Fieler finished the night with 12 points. Eagle point guard Brett Comer finished the night with seven assists, but he also committed nine turnovers. During Florida Gulf Coast’s first two tournament games, he had committed a combined total of five turnovers.
The win gives Florida its third straight trip to the regional finals.
Florida will face No. 4 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. (ET). Michigan advanced after knocking off No. 1 seed Kansas in overtime on Friday, 87-85.
For more information, visit www.NCAA.com.
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