GAINESVILLE, Fla., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Casey Prather scored 28 points Friday in helping the No. 8 Florida Gators hold on for a 77-69 season-opening win over the North Florida Ospreys.
Prather had 17 points in the first half while the Gators were building healthy leads but North Florida battled back to as close as seven points in the late going before the Gators connected on a series of free throws to create some breathing room.
Prather had 11 points in game's opening 8 minutes while the Gators were building a 21-6 lead. Florida extended the lead to 35-18 on a short Prather shot with 4:09 to go in the half.
North Florida outscored the Gators 13-2 the rest of the half, with Beau Beech making two of his three first-half 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds to pull the Ospreys within 37-31 at the break.
The second half was similar, with Florida moving out to an advantage as large a 19 points midway through the period. The Ospreys, this time with an 11-2 run, got within single digits but never within true striking distance.
Prather hit 10-of-16 shots from the floor and 8-of-11 free throws, and had a team-high eight rebounds. Michael Frazier II added 19 points and Kasey Hill 15 to Prather's scoring effort for Florida.
Beech paced North Florida with 16 points. All of his field goals came from 3-point range.
