National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 62, Florida Gulf Coast 50
When: 9:57 PM ET, Friday, March 29, 2013
Where: Cowboy Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Officials: # Duke Edsall, # Carl Gaffney, # Tommy Nunez Jr.
Attendance: 40639
By SportsDirect Inc.


Florida 62, Florida Gulf Coast 50: Mike Rosario scored 15 points and the third-seeded Gators ended the Cinderella run of the 15th-seeded Eagles in the NCAA Tournament South Regional at Arlington, Texas.

Scottie Wilbekin had 13 points and Casey Prather added 11 points as Florida (29-7) overcame an early 11-point deficit to oust Florida Gulf Coast (26-11), which become the first 15th seed in tournament history to advance to the Sweet 16. The Gators will square off with fourth-seeded Michigan in Saturday's regional final for the right to go to the Final Four.

Sherwood Brown scored 14 points and Chase Fieler added 12 points for the upstart Eagles, who were done in by 20 turnovers and a 23-2 blitz by Florida that spanned halftime and turned Florida Gulf Coast's 10-point lead into an 11-point deficit less than 90 seconds into the second half.

The Eagles appeared ready to extend their magical journey by hitting five of their first six shots, including all three 3-point attempts, to bolt to a 15-4 lead only six minutes in. With Florida trailing 24-14, freshman Michael Frazier II buried back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite a 16-0 burst and carry the Gators to a 30-26 halftime edge.

Florida quickly built the lead to double digits as Kenny Boynton converted a three-point play and Rosario hit consecutive baskets in a 7-0 run to open the second half to make it 37-26. Florida Gulf Coast never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Eagles missed 10 straight 3-point attempts after making their first three in matching its lowest offensive output of the season. ... Florida held its 25th opponent to fewer than 60 points and improved to 6-1 in NCAA regional semifinal play under coach Billy Donovan. ... Eagles PG Brett Comer scored only four points and had more turnovers (nine) than assists (seven).

Top Game Performances
 
Florida Gulf Coast   Florida
Sherwood Brown 14 Scoring Mike Rosario 15
Brett Comer 7 Assists Scottie Wilbekin 3
Sherwood Brown 6 Rebounds Mike Rosario 5
Christophe Varidel 3 Free Throws Made Scottie Wilbekin 7
Brett Comer 3 Steals Will Yeguete 4
Chase Fieler 1 Blocks Will Yeguete 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Florida Gulf Coast 50 45.5 4-11 6-11 11 27 3 7 20
Florida 62 38.6 4-15 14-23 12 30 3 11 10