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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Keyontae Johnson and Andrew Nembhard had 15 points each and Florida held off No. 18 Xavier 70-65 in the Charleston Classic championship Sunday night.
The Gators (5-2) had made plenty of headlines for their losses to Florida State and UConn that saw them go from No. 6 at the start of the season to out of the Top 25. But Florida showed the offensive punch and defensive disruption that had the team so highly regarded.
It built a 10-point lead by halftime - the first time Xavier trailed after 20 minutes all season - and kept pouring it on in the second half as a pair of 3-pointers by Nembhard and one by Noah Locke extended it to 50-35 just three minutes into the second half.