It looked shaky at first, but Florida survived.
The Gators, one of the heavyweights in the NCAA tournament, fought fledgling Northwestern State most of the night before pulling away late for a 79-47 win in the first round at the Frank Erwin Center. It was an unspectacular beginning to the tournament for third-seeded Florida, but it was good enough to reach the next round for a chance at No. 6 seed UCLA or No. 11 seed Minnesota on Sunday.
Florida coach Billy Donovan spent the majority of the game exasperated by his players’ defensive lapses and poor passing, but the Gators (27-7) snapped into form after halftime.
“I was disappointed in our defense in the first half,” he said. “Their overall speed got us back on our heels, and our defense wasn’t very good at all. It was a good win considering how we started.”
The Gators (27-7) allowed No. 14 seed Northwestern State to stay within four points early in the second half before scoring five quick points to go up 45-36. They did not take a commanding lead on the Demons (23-9) until Kenny Boynton’s three-pointer with 11:10 remaining put UF ahead 58-42.
That shot was part of a 16-0 run by the Gators to finally put the game away. Florida held Northwestern State to no points and 0-for-7 shooting during a six-minute span.
The Demons started hot from the field, hitting 15 of their first 27 shots, but made just 3-of-23 in the final 19 minutes.
“We didn’t do as great of a job as we should have defensively in the first half, but we were phenomenal in the second half,” Gators center Patric Young said. “When we play the way we should, I don’t see anyone that can stop us. I felt really good about the way we ended the game.
“It’s always nice if you just blow a team out from the get-go, but I think it makes it more enjoyable when there is a little bit of a struggle and then you come away with a win.”
Florida forward Erik Murphy scored a game-high 18 points and hit 8 of 11 field goals to go with eight rebounds. Young finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Boynton continued to look like he is over his slump, scoring in double figures for the third consecutive game. Boynton had 11 points and is averaging 13.3 in his past three games. He now has 2,006 career points, making him the second player in program history to reach 2,000. He trails all-time leader Ronnie Williams by 84 points.
Northwestern State asserted itself as a worthy challenger almost immediately. The Demons were down just 34-30 with 3:19 left in the first half and looked ready to fight their way onto the list of upstarts that took down mega programs in the tournament’s first two days.
Florida, owner of the No. 1 scoring defense among major-conference teams, struggled to keep up with them and allowed a slew of good looks. Even when Northwestern State missed, its players often were open or at close range. The Demons scored on 13 of their first 22 possessions.
“We still have a lot to get better at,” guard Mike Rosario said. “We need to get a lot better, but I liked the way we closed.”
Young and Boynton, two of the most experienced players on the roster, had trouble getting started. Boynton picked up his second foul with 8:52 remaining until halftime and scored just three points in eight minutes.
Young seemed exhausted by the game’s quick tempo and had to come out just three minutes into it. He bounced back with nine points and three rebounds by halftime, but again hurt the Gators with his free-throw shooting. He made 4-of-10 after going 6-for-17 during the recent SEC tournament.
UCLA and Minnesota played late Friday following Florida’s victory. The winner of that game will face the Gators for the right to advance to next week’s regional semifinals at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
