GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Erving Walker scored 12 points -- including eight of Florida's final 10 -- and Erik Murphy scored a team-high 15 to lead the Gators to their 16th consecutive home victory on Saturday evening.
No. 14 Florida (15-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) shot a season-high 56.3 percent from the field (27-of-48), including a 6-for-7 performance by Murphy. Walker went 3-for-9 from the field but went 5-for-7 from the free-throw line.
LSU (12-7, 2-3) cut UF's lead to eight points with 7:04 remaining, but Walker hit two free throws, Scottie Wilbekin made a layup, and the Tigers never got closer than eight points again.
Player of the game: LSU center Justin Hamilton scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He had nine points and three rebounds in the first half.
Stat of the game: Florida shot 63.6 percent from the field in the first half (14-of-22). That included a 3-for-8 performance from the 3-point line.
Streak busted: Guard Kenny Boynton failed to make a 3-pointer for the first time since Jan. 29, 2011. That was a streak of 34 consecutive games, which was the second-longest in school history. Boynton went 0-for-4 from 3-point range. Lee Humphrey holds the record with at least one 3-pointer in 39 consecutive games.
Noteworthy: Center Patric Young did not start for the second consecutive game because of tendonitis in his ankle. He scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds coming off the bench. Will Yeguete started in Young's place. ... UF outscored LSU 26-14 over the final 11 minutes of the first half to take a 38-26 lead into the break. ... Florida tied its season low by making seven 3-pointers. UF also made seven against Arizona, Tennessee and Georgia. The Gators have failed to make at least 10 3-pointers in a game six times.
