Times wires
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Florida has been on a run the past month that has been hard to stop.
Erving Walker had 25 points and the No. 17 Gators (19-5, 8-2 SEC) shot 55.4 percent — their best showing in 21 games — in a 79-60 victory over South Carolina on Wednesday night.
"When we're making shots like that, we're tough to beat," Florida's Chandler Parsons said. "We just want to keep playing unselfish, keep playing the way we are."
And that's at a high level.
Vernon Macklin had 16 points and Chandler had 14 points, 12 rebounds and a career-best eight assists.
Florida has won five of six since losing to the Gamecocks (13-9, 4-5) 72-69 at the O'Connell Center on Jan. 15 to take control of the SEC East.
The Gators are three victories up on their nearest rivals — Georgia and Kentucky are tied at 5-4 and don't play until Saturday — and look as if they're peaking at the perfect time.
"We're learning," said Walker, who was two points shy of his career high. "Even though we're an older team, we're still learning."
That fits into coach Billy Donovan's plans. Donovan was pleased that his team showed focus and poise after a big week — wins over ranked Kentucky and Vanderbilt — and did not repeat the mistakes of its last meeting with the Gamecocks.
"Our guys came here with an understanding of a team that beat us on our home court. They came in with a lot of respect," said Donovan, who earned his 350th victory as Florida coach.