Florida Gators vs Xavier Musketeers Box Score on Mar 20, 2022

Nate Johnson scored 16 points to spark host Xavier to a 72-56 victory over Florida in a second-round matchup of the National Invitational Tournament on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.

Xavier (20-13), a No. 2 seed in its quadrant of the bracket, advanced to the NIT quarterfinal round for the first time since 1999. The Musketeers will take on either No. 4 seed Vanderbilt or No. 1 Dayton either on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Kowacie Reeves led the Gators (20-14) with 14 points. He exited the game with 1:26 remaining after sustaining a cut over his right eye following an on-court collision with a teammate while chasing a loose ball.

Johnson did all of his damage from either beyond the 3-point line (3 for 10) or the foul line (7 for 9). He was one of five Musketeers who scored in double figures along with Jack Nunge, who totaled 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Colby Jones, who finished with 11 points, five assists and four steals, capped the performance by dunking to finish an open drive to the basket in the final minute.

Zach Freemantle and Dwon Odom also had 10 points for Xavier.

After the Gators rallied to tie the game at 33 at halftime, Xavier opened the second half on a 7-0 run and didn't look back. The Musketeers opened a 47-36 advantage after 4:01 of the half. The Gators answered with six consecutive points, but then went cold.

Florida, which made its first NIT appearance since 2016, shot just 32.8 percent (21 of 64) from the field and went 6 for 30 from 3-point range.

Tyree Appleby and Colin Castleton each also had 10 points for Florida.

Xavier's Paul Scruggs went down on a fast break and appeared to injure his left knee. He exited the game with 16:54 left in the second half.

--Field Level Media