Florida Flunks a Major Test

Florida’s strategy Wednesday night against No. 3 Duke was to trade offensive blows. Bad move.

The Blue Devils (8-1) scorched the previously unbeaten Gators (5-1) for 63 first-half points en route to a 116-86 victory behind William Avery’s school-record eight three-pointers.

Duke’s point total matched the most ever against Florida. Tennessee also had 116 against the Gators on Jan. 11, 1979.

Avery, who finished with 26 points and nine assists, broke the Duke record of seven three-pointers in a game set by Chris Collins in 1996 and tied by Trajan Langdon in 1997. The Blue Devils made a season-high 16 of 23 shots beyond the arc, including 8 for 10 by Avery.

Langdon added 20 points for Duke.

Udonis Haslem led the Gators with 19 points despite battling foul trouble. Mike Miller, Florida’s leading scorer, added 15 points. Miller, who didn’t start, returned after missing two games with an ankle injury.

The Blue Devils, playing the Gators for the first time since defeating them in the 1994 national semifinals, won for the 26th straight time in Cameron Indoor Stadium and improved to 117-2 against non-conference teams here since 1983.

The Gators, starting two sophomores and three freshmen, held their own in the opening nine minutes and were tied 23-23 with the Blue Devils. But then Avery sank a pair of 3-pointers and Duke pulled away.

Florida closed to 38-31, but Duke then went on a 25-10 run to close out the first half as Avery sank a pair of shots beyond the arc in a 31-second span.

Duke made 12 of its first 17 three-point shots and Avery was 7 for 7 from long range before missing with 13 minutes left.