GAINESVILLE — Florida point guard Boogie Fland was feeling it — it had been a while.
Too long for him and the Gators, whose sophomore point guard personified the team’s season-long backcourt struggles.
But Fland found his footing late in the first half en route to season-high 23 points as the unranked Gators raced to a double-digit halftime lead and never looked back to trounce No. 21 Tennessee 91-67 Saturday at a sold-out O’Connell Center.
With a crowd of 10,182 looking on, including Florida legends Vernell Maxwell and Mike Miller, the Gators (11-5, 2-1 SEC) won their 15th straight home games and back-to-back conference games after a Jan. 3 loss at Missouri dropped the reigning national champions out of the Top 25.
If Fland can build on Saturday’s breakout performance, the Gators could reassume their position as SEC favorites.
Looking to find his missing mojo, the 19-year-old shed his signature dreadlocks leading up to a visit from the Vols (11-5, 1-2). Despite the new look, it was same-old struggles early on for Fland.
Fland exited the game with 12 minutes left in the first half, saddled with two fouls and 0-of-2 from the field as Florida trailed 12-10. The Gators took their first lead at 17-16 on a driving layup by Xaivian Lee running the point.
But after an ill-advised 3-point attempt by Lee, coach Todd Golden replaced him with Fland. A pair of assists and a steal helped the Gators stake a modest 26-21 lead. Once Tennessee tied the game at 26-26, Fland suddenly came alive.
A step-back 3 was the first of four field goals, including another 3, as the Gators staked a 41-28 halftime lead on their way to 15th straight home win as a crowd of 10,182 looked on.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Fland then scored nine points during the first seven minutes of the second half, culminating with his third 3 to leave him 8-of-12 shooting as Gators led 60-36.
Fland wasn’t the only Gator who suddenly found his range for a team entering the day last among power conference teams in 3-point shooting, at 27.7%. UF started 2-of-14 from beyond the arc, but hit six of its next 10 3-point attempts.
Fland led five Gators in double-figures. Center Rueben Chinyelu recorded his eighth double-double with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 16 rebounds, while star forward Tommy Haugh and reserve guard Urban Klavzar each had 13 points. Alex Condon has 11 points to go with seven rebounds, while Lee finished with 10 points and three assists.
Meanwhile, the Gators forced 18 turnovers leading to 30 points in the latest lopsided decision in the series.
Favored by 4.5 points, Florida has won three of the last four meetings with Tennessee.
Last season it was one extreme or the other between the Gators and Vols, with Florida winning by 30 points at home (73-43) and losing by 20 points in Knoxville (64-44). UF won the rubber match in the SEC Tournament 86-77 during the Gators’ postseason run to the national title.
Golden’s squad looked like a contender again Saturday, while Fland performed like the player everyone expected the Arkansas transfer to be.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com