Photo: Myreon Jones; Credit: Zach Goodall
Fifth Grade Senior Security Guard Myron Jones Florida State shone with a near triple-double as it beat SEC rival South Carolina 81-60.
Jones has proven to be the catalyst for Florida’s recent success, showing off his assist skills in his third straight start, coming off a season-long struggle with eight assists and zero assists. His efficiency covered the entirety of UF on Wednesday night.
He scored 9 points, including And-1 finishing with a 1 Colin Castletonand had a team-leading 10 rebounds in arguably the best outing of his career, wearing the orange and blue strings that contributed to Florida’s success from start to finish.
Florida capped off a slow start, its second straight appearance in conference play.
Castleton starts point guard after tip Kyle Lofton Bring the ball up the field and look for opportunities to build up in the half court offense. Simulating a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, Lofton pressed into the Gamecocks defense before throwing the pass to Castleton.
The Florida big man snatched the ball from the air and slammed it home to make an early statement.
That set the tone for how Florida State took the game to South Carolina in the first half, scoring 34 points on 45.2 percent shooting in 20 minutes.
This aggressive mentality carried through the entire game.
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At the end of the first half, Golden used his analytical background to rush Lofton on with less than 50 seconds to go, aiming for a 2-1 scoring opportunity.Fifth-year linebacker finds opportunity Jason Gitobo Inside, he missed a shot with 34.1 seconds left.
The Gators held their ground defensively and regained possession with 4.6 seconds left in the first half. Assistant Kevin Hofford devised a play that would have Jones sprinting upfield with clear vision of the floor. He found Reeves on the left wing, with wide vision from beyond the arc.
While Reeves failed to connect, it showed their intent to keep the pressure on.
That was evident, as Florida shot 48 percent in the second half and hovered around 47 percent from the field. They continued to score from inside and outside the arc over the final 20 minutes to beat the Gamecocks 47-34.
Castleton (18), Reeves (15), Lofton (10), richard (10) and Riley Kugel (14) Each shades a two-digit score.
As a result, Todd Golden completed a sweep of first-year SEC head coaches, going 5-0 with a win over the Lamont Paris Gamecocks. A rematch with Georgia State’s Mike White and LSU’s Matt McMahon will be played at the end of the regular season.
The win fits with the momentum-building win Florida State is looking for, as a tough four-game run puts the team head-to-head.
Florida State heads to Manhattan, Kansas to replace front wing Koyantay Johnson and the No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats in their next game on Saturday night. The meeting is part of a long-running Big 12/SEC challenge.
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