GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ The Florida Gators arrived wearing black, looking sleek, stylish and a bit sinister.
For much of Saturday night's visit from Tennessee, the Gators' new uniforms looked better suited for a more somber occasion.
But No. 24 UF eventually would come alive behind sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen to pull away from the Vols for an 83-70 win before a capacity crowd of 10,843 at the O'Connell Center.
Allen finished with a season-high 23 points and at one point scored 14 of his team's 19 points. This included back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Gators a 66-59 lead with 6:59 remaining, at the time their largest lead.
"He made some really big ones for us," UF coach Mike White said of Allen. "He's really coming into his own."
Allen delivered the telling blow, but the Gators (12-3, 3-0 SEC) had to go toe-to-toe with Tennessee (8-7, 1-2) much of the night to pick up their fifth consecutive win.
Before Allen found his range, UF forward Justin Leon kept the Gators close during a game that featured 13 lead changes and six ties. The 6-foot-8 senior entered Saturday ice cold during two games in the renovated O'Dome, shooting 2-of-12 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range.
But Leon opened the game with a long, rainbow 3-pointer and never cooled down on his way to a career-high 19 points.
"I shot it so high I thought I was going to airball it at first, but it dropped right in," he said. "I'm like, 'OK.' Then the game was just set for me from there."
Leon finished 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He also led UF with six rebounds.
"He hit some timely shots for us," White said. "He doesn't even think about it. It doesn't faze him. He's a junkyard dog for us."
But Leon and Allen did more than hit big shots for the Gators. The two players, along with point guards Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza, led a defensive charge early in the second half that turned the tables on Tennessee.
The Vols rode their physicality and aggressiveness through the first half, forcing nine turnovers leading to nine points.
"We were out of character offensively in the first half," White said. "They had us sped up."
UF answered to open the second half and ended the game with 16 points off nine Tennessee turnovers. The Vols would give up the ball 19 times.
The Gators, meanwhile, hit 10 of their first 11 shots after intermission and finished the half with just two turnovers, leading to no points.
"Nineteen turnovers, you're just not going to win," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. "The second half, they took care of the ball and we didn't."
The Vols still hung around, but their chances for the upset effectively ended when forward Admiral Schofield fouled out 3:48 remaining and UF leading 70-63. The star of last year's 83-69 win against UF in Knoxville, Schofield exited Saturday's game with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both team highs.
By then, Tennessee was on the ropes thanks to Allen. The reserved sophomore too often defers to teammates but displayed an aggressive offensive mindset White and the Gators hope to see going forward.
"It's nice to see him really aggressive because he's a really talented scorer," White said. "And his teammate rally around that, too."
