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Boynton leads Florida in rout of Texas A&M

Dec 17, 2011 - 11:55 PM Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Kenny Boynton scored a game-high 22 points, leading No. 13 Florida to an 84-64 victory over No. 22 Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl Classic.

Erving Walker and Bradley Beal both added 16 points, while Erik Murphy finished with 13 for the Gators (8-2), winners of three straight and seven of their last eight.

David Loubeau and Elston Turner both scored 20 points and Khris Middleton had 12 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Aggies (8-2), who saw their six-game win streak come to an end.

The Aggies missed their first six shots from the field, allowing the Gators to build a sizeable advantage. With 12:01 remaining, Middleton hit a layup to end the drought and make 18-4, but Florida continued to pull away.

The Gators took a 50-25 lead into the break, shooting 55.2 percent over that span against a Texas A&M squad which entered the game allowing just 51.4 points per game.

Boynton registered 14 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a 4-of-7 effort from beyond the arc.

"My range in the first half, they got in a two-three zone and I hit one deep," said Boynton. "I think Erving did a great job of creating on offense and he found me open on a lot of shots."

Texas A&M didn't threaten until the game's closing minutes.

With 2:10 remaining, Turner's fast break layup cut the deficit to 73-61 and prompted a Florida timeout. But Turner committed a technical foul on Boynton's layup attempt just seconds later. Boynton knocked down the ensuing free throws and Walker hit a trey off of the inbounds play to make it 80-64 with 1:32 left, effectively putting the Aggies away.

"Offensively, they're so good with Walker creating so many opportunities and with Boynton shooting the ball like that," said Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy. "They're very difficult to guard and we couldn't slow them down."

Game Notes

This was the third all-time meeting between the schools. The Gators lead the series 2-1...Florida held a 23-7 advantage from the foul line...The Gators entered the game averaging 86.8 points per game.