Dan Werner, Alex Tyus help No. 13 Florida get 1st win as ranked team, 80-59 over FAMU

Werner leads No. 13 Gators to 80-59 win over FAMU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dan Werner scored 16 points, Alex Tyus added 15 and No. 13 Florida beat Florida A&M 80-59 on Tuesday night.

Vernon Macklin finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Gators, who improved to 7-0 for the first time since 2005.

Christopher Walker led the Rattlers (0-9) with 19 points and six rebounds.

Unranked to start the season, Florida jumped into the middle of The Associated Press’ poll Monday after beating rival Florida State, upsetting then-No. 2 Michigan State three days later and knocking off Rutgers in the championship game of the Legends Classic in New Jersey.

It was the program’s best week since winning a second consecutive NCAA championship in Atlanta in April 2007. The Gators have been ranked four times in the 33 months since, but never stayed in the poll very long.

Coach Billy Donovan said he thought his team was mature enough now — Florida has four upperclassmen — to handle success better than it has in the last two seasons.

The Gators showed a little of that maturity against Florida A&M.

The Rattlers used a 17-4 run to turn a 30-16 deficit into a tight game. They forced turnovers, got easy baskets on the break and made 7 of 9 shots over the final 13 minutes of the half. Donovan was so upset with guard Erving Walker that he benched him in favor of a walk-on, a rare occurrence so early in a game.

Clinging to a 34-33 lead, Werner hit a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Gators a little extra cushion heading into the locker room. He finished 4 of 6 from behind the arc.

The Gators got their act together after the break. They opened the second half with a 23-4 run that turned the close game into a rout.

Walker finished with 10 points and five assists. Kenny Boynton, out of the starting lineup for the first time this season, made up for an off shooting night (0 for 7) with nine assists.

The Gators shot 52 percent from the field and made 7 of 20 from 3-point range. They overcame 17 turnovers and had a 41-31 rebounding advantage.

The Rattlers shot 40 percent and had 20 turnovers.

Yannick Crowder, Amin Stevens and Dale Hughes had eight points each for FAMU, which ended a brutal early season stretch that included trips to Atlanta, Omaha, Neb., Cleveland, Palo Alto, Calif., Mexico and Birmingham, Ala.