Lee breaks out of shooting slump as Gators outlast George Washington

In the bowels of Madison Square Garden, Xaivian Lee spewed a precise message Tuesday.

“I need to start making some [expletive] shots,” he told floridagators.com, only taking one question following Florida’s loss to No. 5 UConn 77-73. “When I start making shots, we’re going to be so [expletive] good. Not to put pressure on myself, but it’s true.”

Lee, shooting 26.3% from the field and 20.3% from three, needed something to change. The Gators, shooting 43.1% and 27.3% — and 5-4 to show for it — needed something to change.

So Lee’s season-high 24 points on Saturday, notably coming on 54.5% from the field and a crisp 50% on three-pointers, were a welcome sight. And in this much-needed revamp, No. 18 Florida topped George Washington 80-70 in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise. It was a second-half effort, primarily, as the Gators (6-4) came out of the break on an 11-point run, ultimately ballooning their lead to 18 after only entering the half up 30-27.

“We’re never gonna be disappointed with the 10-point victory,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “[But] we still have a really high floor and ceiling. … So we gotta finish the job.”

Lee was Florida’s entire offense early. He tallied eight points in just the first 10 minutes against the Revolutionaries (8-4). The tradeoff, however, was that only one other Florida player scored in the first 13 minutes of the game. Lee and forward Thomas Haugh, who has blossomed into an early All-American candidate, each finished with double digits in the first half. The rest of the team had nine.

Instead, as has become Florida’s typical game flow this season, the Gators found themselves in a rock fight, though their first against a mid-major. It’s worth noting that, under former longtime Miami assistant coach Chris Caputo, George Washington tallied its best record in nine years, winning 21 games last year. But after bouts with heavyweights like No. 13 Arizona, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 UConn (who all currently rank in the top five), this probably should have been a bit easier on the Gators.

It just wasn’t.

While Lee vastly improved from beyond the arc, extending a recent streak in which he’s scored 19 or more in three of Florida’s last four games, the rest of the Gators stuck to their typical script. For Lee’s four three-pointers, Florida only hit two other triples, shooting 22.2%. The Gators were 4 for 19 in the first half and finished with only 27 attempts after essentially shutting down their perimeter offense during the second half run. Florida guard Boogie Fland scored 12, but beyond Lee and Haugh (19), he was the only other Gator to eclipse eight points against the Revolutionaries.

“We have so many strengths, and obviously shooting hasn’t been one so far, but I think we know we’re all capable of making shots,” Lee said. “We’ve been shooting really poorly, but I think it’s only up from here. I think we’re all gonna make a lot more shots in the future.”

Golden nodded in agreement and mentioned he was pleased with Florida’s defensive and rebounding efforts after the Gators grabbed 43 boards, outrebounding George Washington by eight. In Florida’s nation-leading eight games against KenPom top-100 opponents, its attack has become predicated on possession totals. The Gators win by outlasting teams, which is a formula that may prove unsustainable.

George Washington ventured to Amerant Bank Arena with only two rotation players shooting above 35% from three. While it had four go for 10 points or more, headlined by Trey Autry’s 15 and Tyron Marshall’s 14, the team finished 34.6% from deep.

“We have a lot that we need to continue to improve upon,” Golden said. “It’s really important … over the next couple weeks, prior to and through the break before SEC play, that we tighten up.

“We’re close to being a very good team, but we’re far from that right now.”

The Gators still have some time, as he mentioned, to find a more sustainable identity. After playing seven of its first 10 games away from home, Florida will return to Gainesville for three consecutive games prior to opening conference play on Jan. 3 at Missouri.