No. 8 Florida holds off Gamecocks

Posted 7:05AM on Wednesday 6th February 2002 ( 23 years ago )

COLUMBIA, S.C. - During Florida's three-game losing streak, Matt Bonner said he would get the ball up at the top of the key and panic. Bad decisions and turnovers followed. Coach Billy Donovan told Bonner to be a little more patient. And in the past two games, Bonner's game has blossomed, and the No. 8 Gators are back on track. Bonner led all scorers with 19 points as Florida (17-4, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) beat South Carolina 72-63 on Tuesday night. Florida's Brett Nelson shot 4-for-8 from 3-point range and added 16 points and seven assists as the Gators survived several second-half rallies by South Carolina to win their second straight game. Chuck Eidson and Jamel Bradley each scored 14 points for South Carolina (13-9, 3-6). Marius Petravicius had 11 points and seven rebounds. The Gamecocks' last comeback try came with the Carolina Coliseum crowd roaring and Florida clinging to a five-point lead, 53-48, with 7:30 left. Bonner made two foul shots. Then, after Eidson had his 3-point attempt rattle in and out, Nelson countered with a 3 for Florida. Two possessions later, Orien Greene converted a turnover into a layup, and David Lee made two free throws to give the Gators a 62-48 lead. ``When you're on the road and you get up by 10, 12 points, you're going to have to weather some storms,'' Donovan said. ``I think our guys did a good job of halting momentum.'' South Carolina closed within nine at 62-53 with 3:30 remaining. Haslem, who sat six minutes with four fouls, returned to the lineup and made a layup to extend the Gators' lead to 11. ``We're not playing well enough right now in the areas where good teams play well, like not turning the ball over and shooting the basketball well,'' Gamecocks coach Dave Odom said. South Carolina, which trailed 39-27 at the half, opened the second half with an 11-5 run. Florida responded with a layup by Haslem and a short jumper and free throw by Lee, pushing its lead to 49-38. Florida missed two 3-pointers, and South Carolina moved within five points after a 3-pointer by Eidson and a three-point play by Petravicius with 10 minutes left. Florida shot 53.2 percent (25-for-47), while South Carolina shot 34.4 percent (21-for-61). ``Good teams don't miss open shots,'' Odom said. South Carolina forced four Gator turnovers with its trapping and pressing defense and moved out to a 9-1 lead. After a timeout, Florida went on a 15-5 run over the next 3:30 and assumed a 16-14 lead. The Gators stepped up their defense and forced four turnovers in the run. ``I thought we had a great start and played with a lot of energy,'' Odom said. ``Around the middle of the first half, we had way too many unforced turnovers.''

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