National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 84, Norfolk State 50
When: 6:10 PM ET, Sunday, March 18, 2012
Where: CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Officials: # Brian Dorsey, # Antinio Petty, # Scott Thornley
Attendance: N/A

Florida 84, Norfolk State 50: Kenny Boynton scored 20 points, and Florida used a 25-0 run early in the first half to blow past overmatched Norfolk State in the NCAA tournament’s Round of 32.

Just two days after Norfolk State (26-10) became the first No. 15 seed to win a game since 2001, seventh-seeded Florida (25-10) made sure it didn’t fall victim as well.

After briefly falling behind 6-4, the Gators exploded for a 25-0 spurt, taking a 26-6 lead on Erving Walker’s deep 3-pointer and extending it to 29-6 on a Patric Young free throw midway through the first half.

In the Spartans’ stunning upset of second-seeded Missouri on Friday, they shot 10 for 19 on 3-pointers, but they finished just four-of-23 from long range against the Gators.

Florida led 47-19 at halftime, and then quickly extended the edge to 52-21 on Boynton’s layup two minutes into the second half.

Walker finished with 15 points for the Gators, who will move on to face third-seeded Marquette in the Sweet 16.

Marcos Tamares led Norfolk State with 12 points. Kyle O’Quinn, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, finished with only four points and three rebounds on one-of-nine shooting.

A No. 15 seed has still never advanced past the Round of 32, but Lehigh has a chance to become the first in its game against Xavier on Sunday night.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
This was the worst loss ever for a No. 15 seed in the Round of 32… Florida moved to 31-12 all-time in the NCAA tournament, including a 27-9 mark under coach Billy Donovan… The Gators' two tournament wins this season have come by a combined 60 points.
Top Game Performances
 
Norfolk State   Florida
Marcos Tamares 12 Scoring Kenny Boynton 20
Pendarvis Williams 2 Assists Kenny Boynton 4
Rob Johnson 5 Rebounds Bradley Beal 9
A.J. Rogers 3 Free Throws Made Erving Walker 8
Kris Brown 1 Steals Bradley Beal 2
Chris McEachin 1 Blocks Casey Prather 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Norfolk State 50 27.3 4-24 10-13 9 30 3 3 8
Florida 84 52.8 10-28 18-25 13 40 4 4 13