GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Erving Walker scored 17 points off the bench, Nick Calathes added 14 and Florida beat Vanderbilt 82-68 Saturday to remain tied atop the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division.
“We had some missed opportunities in the first half with missed lay-ups,” said Kevin Stallings, VU head coach. “Florida got on a role and got its confidence up. We had some breakdowns defensively; we just had a hard time guarding them.
“We did a much better job in the second half. We were attacking in the second half offensively. By that time it’s really too late, unless you can put a whole bunch of stops together.”
Walter Hodge chipped in 12 points for the Gators, who extended their home-winning streak to 17 and swept the season series against the Commodores.
Florida (21-6, 8-4 SEC) made 15 3-pointers in the first meeting last month and handed Vanderbilt its worst loss of the season, 94-69. This one was another lopsided affair — mostly because Florida got off to a torrid start.
The Gators, who jumped out to a 19-4 lead, were up 50-25 early in the second and easily held on from there.
A.J. Ogilvy led the Commodores (16-10, 5-7) with 18 points and six rebounds. Brad Tinsley had 12 points
