NORMAN — Reigning national champion Florida shot 54% from the field and posted a 43-31 rebounding advantage in a 96-79 win over Oklahoma at Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday.
The 19th-ranked Gators (12-5, 3-1 SEC) won their third straight game while the Sooners (11-6, 1-3) fell for the third time in a row.
Florida, which entered the contest as the nation's No. 1 offensive rebounding team at 17.0 per game, grabbed 17 more offensive boards on the night and registered a 22-12 advantage in second-chance points. UF also outscored the Sooners 60-22 in the paint.
The Sooners trailed 46-24 at halftime after shooting just 29% from the field and making only two 3-pointers, but outscored Florida 55-50 in the second half. It was their most points in a half in SEC play. They shot 59% from the floor and 67% from behind the arc (8 for 12) after halftime.
The OU highlight was 6-foot-11 Russian center
Kirill Elatontsev going 4 for 4 from 3-point range over a span of 5:40, keying a 22-12 second-half run that cut UF's lead to 72-53 with 9:27 remaining. Playing in just his fifth game as a Sooner, Elatontsev also went 3 for 4 at the free throw line and finished with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 17 minutes. He had not scored more than six points in any of his first four outings and totaled only two over the last three games.
Behind Elatontsev's performance, the Sooners shot a season-high 63% from 3-point distance (10 for 16).
Junior guard
Xzayvier Brown led OU with a season-high 24 points, good for his sixth 18-plus-point effort in the last eight games. Brown was 7 for 13 from the field, 3 for 5 from 3-point range and 7 for 8 from the free throw line. The SEC's top free throw shooter entering the night at 94%, he had his streak of 27 consecutive makes snapped.
OU senior forward
Tae Davis netted 17 points and game highs of eight rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
Florida, which posted 15- and 24-point wins over No. 18 Georgia and No. 21 Tennessee, respectively, last week, had four players score in double figures against the Sooners. Forward Thomas Haugh scored a team-high 21 while fellow forward Rueben Chinyelu recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
OU is home again Saturday when No. 18/18 Alabama visits for a noon CT contest at Lloyd Noble Center. Tickets are available for as little as $15
here.