South Carolina Vs. Florida: Led By Brad Beal, Gators Win Sixth Straight Game

The Florida Gators won their sixth game in a row on Thursday night, beating the South Carolina Gamecocks 74-66 in Gainesville. The Gators have rolled off six straight SEC wins after dropping the opener in Knoxville. It was Florida's 18th straight win at the O'Connell Center.

Florida was led by freshman Brad Beal, who was all over the place and provided the highlight of the night in the sports world. Beal had his fourth double-double of the season, taking control of the game throughout and throwing down a monstrous "and-1" dunk to put the Gators' lead back to nine with under four minutes to play. He finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Kenny Boyton led all scorers with 24 points, as the senior guard was hot right out of the gate and hit three three-pointers in the first half. He finished with four treys but also drove the lane and got to the line ten times, hitting eight from the free-throw line.

Florida didn't shoot the ball particularly well, which let Carolina hang around and keep it under ten over the final ten minutes of the game. But the Gators still managed to keep them at arm's length and extend the winning streak. They will look to continue that streak on Saturday afternoon when the host Vanderbilt.

For all news and information regarding Florida Gators athletics, please visit Alligator Army. For updates and perspective on the South Carolina Gamecocks, head on over to Garnet and Black Attack. For complete coverage of college hoops, check out SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

After one half in Gainesville, the Florida Gators lead the South Carolina Gamecocks 37-28. The Gators hit six of 15 attempts from behind the arc, and jumped out to an early double digit lead off the three-ball. Kenny Boynton and Bradley Beal paced the Gators over the first twenty minutes. Boynton led all scorers with 11 points and hit three of four from downtown. Beal added ten points and grabbed seven boards, as the freshman phenom was the most active and dominant player on the floor. As a team, the Gators have outrebounded the Gamecocks by double digits already.

South Carolina went a run late to cut it to a nine-point game but Florida seemed in control for much of the first half. The Gators are looking to improve to 6-1 in the conference and win their sixth game in a row.

For all news and information regarding Florida Gators athletics, please visit Alligator Army. For updates and perspective on the South Carolina Gamecocks, head on over to Garnet and Black Attack. For complete coverage of college hoops, check out SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.