National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 71, Georgia 62
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 24, 2011
Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
Officials: # Rick Hartzell, # Anthony Jordan, # Michael Kitts
Attendance: 12013

Kenny Boynton had 18 points and Chandler Parsons added 16 as No. 13 Florida captured the SEC East regular-season title Thursday, rallying to beat Georgia 71-62 in Gainesville, Fla.

The Gators (22-5, 11-2) took advantage of 13 Georgia turnovers en route to their sixth victory in a row, securing their first East crown since 2007.

Travis Leslie had a game-high 20 points for the Bulldogs (18-9, 7-6), who failed to gain a measure of revenge after dropping a thrilling 104-91 double-OT decision to Florida on Jan. 25.

After falling behind by as many as 11 points in a sloppy first half, the Gators clamped down on defense after the break, forcing Georgia into one mistake after another.

A Vernon Macklin steal led to a Parsons dunk early in the second half, cutting the deficit to five. Just under seven minutes later, Trey Thompkins turned the ball over and Erving Walker made a layup to give Miami its first lead since the seven-minute mark of the first half.

Boynton went to work from there, knocking down three straight 3-pointers – the last coming on Georgia's 13th turnover of the game – to give Florida a 10-point advantage. The Bulldogs wouldn't get closer than four points the rest of the way.

Thompkins added 16 points in defeat for Georgia, which shot 50 percent from the field but made just 3 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
Top Game Performances
 
Georgia   Florida
Travis Leslie 20 Scoring Kenny Boynton 18
Gerald Robinson Jr. 6 Assists Kenny Boynton 4
Trey Thompkins 7 Rebounds Vernon Macklin 8
Travis Leslie 4 Free Throws Made Kenny Boynton 5
Chris Barnes 1 Steals Vernon Macklin 1
Marcus Thornton 1 Blocks Chandler Parsons 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Georgia 62 50.0 3-13 7-10 17 30 1 3
Florida 71 45.5 7-20 14-20 13 30 2 4