Kowacie Reeves led four players in double figures with a season-high 20 points, lifting Florida to an 82-48 win over Ohio on Wednesday night in Tampa, Fla.
The Gators (7-4) bounced back from a 21-point home loss last week to No. 3 Connecticut with a strong effort on both ends of the floor. Florida shot 51.9 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent (10 of 22) from 3-point range, while holding Ohio to just 31.4 percent shooting.
Kyle Lofton added 15 points and seven assists for Florida, with Alex Fudge posting a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Trey Bonham scoring 12 points.
A.J. Brown led Ohio (5-5) with 14 points, with Dwight Wilson adding 13 points. The Bobcats were unable to get on track from the perimeter, shooting just 3 of 14 from 3-point range (21.4 percent).
Lofton scored 12 points in the first half, helping the Gators jump to a 42-18 halftime lead.
Up 16-10, the Gators went on a 17-0 run to take a commanding 33-10 lead. Lofton scored five points during the run, all from the foul line, as Florida held Ohio scoreless for a 7:35 stretch.
The Bobcats then scored four straight points on two free throws from Wilson and a layup from Brown, cutting Florida’s lead to 33-14. But the Gators closed the half strong with a 9-4 run A 3-pointer from Lofton put Florida back up 39-16 with 52 seconds left in the half and another 3-pointer from Reeves with 4.5 seconds left in the half gave the Gators a 42-14 lead it took into halftime.
Florida shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and drew 13 Ohio fouls. The Gators cashed in at the free throw line, making 14 of 17 attempts in the half.
Defensively, the Gators held Ohio to 22.7 percent from the field in the first half. The Bobcats struggled from the perimeter in the first 20 minutes, going 0 of 7 from 3-point range.
–Field Level Media