Boogie Fland delivers his best game at Florida and leads the way against No. 21 Tennessee, 91-67
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2:22 PM on Saturday, January 10
By MARK LONG
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Boogie Fland scored a season-high 23, Rueben Chinyelu dominated the paint and Florida handled No. 21 Tennessee 91-67 on Saturday to extend its home winning streak to 15.
Chinyelu finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. He fouled out in the waning seconds and got the loudest ovation of the game.
The defending national champion Gators (11-5, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) swept two ranked opponents this week after dropping out of the AP Top 25. Inconsistent shooting, especially from 3-point range, had been Florida’s biggest weakness all season.
But coach Todd Golden’s team made 9 of 30 from behind the arc against the Volunteers (11-5, 1-2).
Fland had three of them to highlight his best game in a Florida uniform, which came days after he cut his signature dreadlocks.
After missing 15 consecutive 3s over his last five games, Fland got hot and was the difference for the home team. He made 9 of 13 shots to go along with five assists and four steals. Fans started chanting “let's go Boogie!” in the second half, and the in-house DJ started playing every song mentioning Boogie at his fingertips during timeouts.
Fland turned it on late in the first half, finding renewed confidence after hitting two 3s. He started driving, getting to the free-throw line and even scored on several midrange jumpers. He helped the Gators close the first half with a 10-0 run to build a 13-point lead.
With Florida greats Vernon Maxwell and Mike Miller on hand, the Gators stretched the lead to 25 midway through the second half and cruised from there.
Nate Ament led the Vols with 17 points and Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 12. But Tennessee had just six 3s and 18 turnovers.
Tennessee hosts Texas A&M on Tuesday
Florida plays at Oklahoma the same night.
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