GAINESVILLE -- The football field isn't the only place where the Florida Gators are dominating teams with defense.

The UF men's basketball team is shutting down opposing offenses as well. The Gators forced 23 turnovers on Tuesday night at O'Connell Center and defeated rival Florida State 68-52. It was UF's first victory against its instate rival in four years. Through four games, opponents are averaging 51.25 points per game against Florida (4-0), which limited only one opponent all of last season to fewer than 50 points.

``I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I know right now at this point in time these kids are different kids than they were a year ago,'' UF coach Billy Donovan said. ``They matured. There's a different attitude.''

That's a welcome sign for Florida basketball fans, who have endured two years of mediocrity after being spoiled with back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. UF led 39-19 at halftime against a team that physically dominated the Gators in each of the past two seasons. FSU cut the Gators' lead to five points in the second half, but UF responded with an 18-3 run. FSU's Derwin Kitchen led the Seminoles (3-1) with 15 points. Chris Singleton had 10 points.

The Gators received balanced scoring Tuesday, a sign that Donovan's offense is healing itself after two years of unbalanced efforts led by former guard Nick Calathes. Seven players scored at least six points for UF, including 13 points apiece from freshman Kenny Boynton Jr. of Pompano Beach, sophomore point guard Erving Walker and junior forward Alex Tyus.

Tyus, who had been struggling from the floor until Tuesday, swished four mid-range jumpers against FSU. Junior forward Dan Werner made three key three-pointers in the second half and absorbed a charge by FSU forward Jordan DeMercy that sparked the Gators' second-half surge.

``Dan plays with no intention,'' Donovan said. ``The only intention he plays with is to do what's best for the team.''

DeMercy's offensive foul came with 11:16 left in the game. Before the foul, FSU began the second half with a 19-4 run that cut Florida's lead to 43-38. After the charge, UF scored 12 consecutive points and took a 58-40 lead when reserve Chandler Parsons made a three-pointer with 5:56 to play. Parsons and fellow UF reserve Ray Shipman of Miami combined for 17 point off the bench.

``Last year, everyone was, `Florida's team is soft,' '' said Shipman, who scored eight points in nine minutes during the first half. ``We came out with a chip on our shoulder. . . . Everybody just got aggression from somewhere. I don't know where it's from, but they got it from somewhere.''

Florida travels to Atlantic City, N.J., on Friday for a game against No. 2 Michigan State (4-0) in the semifinals of the Legends Classic. The Spartans advanced to the Final Four last season.