Chris Chiozza leads Florida past Georgia

Junior guard Chris Chiozza scored 15 points and was a defensive menace as No. 17 Florida continued its impressive stretch with a 72-60 victory over Georgia on Tuesday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.

Chiozza had four of the Gators’ 12 steals, and senior guard Kasey Hill added 12 points and five assists for Florida (19-5, 9-2 SEC), which won its fifth straight.

Senior point guard J.J. Frazier scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds and junior forward Yante Maten added 19 points for the Bulldogs (13-11, 4-7 SEC), who dropped four straight SEC games, sandwiched around a non-conference win over Texas.

The Gators won their last four games by an average margin of 32 points, including Saturday’s emphatic 88-66 victory over No. 15 Kentucky Kentucky.

The Gators looked like they were on the verge of another blowout win early in the first half Tuesday.

Devin Robinson and Justin Leon hit back-to-back 3-pointers that gave the Gators a 29-14 lead with 9:07 left before halftime. But Georgia stormed back with a 15-0 run, with Frazier scoring seven points during the Bulldogs’ spurt.

Florida went more than six minutes without a field goal, and Georgia capitalized.

The Bulldogs closed out the first half with a 19-5 run, but still trailed 35-33 at intermission.

Maten had 10 points in the first half, but had to leave the game late after enduring a cut on his face. He returned in the second half and was challenged by Florida’s interior defense. Maten finished with five turnovers.

After a first half full of runs by each team, Florida opened the second with a 13-5 burst, capped by a Canyon Berry 3-pointer that put the Gators up 48-38.

Chiozza knocked down a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 16 with two minutes to play, and Georgia was unable to challenge down the stretch.

Barry finished with 11 points, including a 4-of-4 performance from the foul line that increased his streak to 35 consecutive made free throws.