Sam Houston St. Bearkats Related Links: Team Page City Page Schedule Stats

Florida Gators Related Links: Team Page City Page Schedule Stats

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- David Lee scored 23 points and freshman Anthony Roberson added 16 as second seed Florida posted an 85-55 rout over Sam Houston State in a South Region matchup.

Lee controlled the paint and Roberson the perimeter for Florida (25-7), which led by at least 14 after halftime and advanced to a second-round encounter with seventh seed Michigan State in a rematch of the 2000 national title game.

While Sam Houston State center Jay Oliphant went scoreless in 13 minutes, Lee had his way inside, making 9-of-12 shots to help Florida to a 32-20 advantage in the paint.

But most of the Gators' damage came from beyond the 3-point line, where they were 13-of-28. Roberson led the way, hitting five of his seven attempts.

Justin Hamilton added 11 points and Brett Nelson chipped in nine and nine assists off the bench for Florida, which shot 52 percent from the field (32-of-61) and snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Bearkats (23-7), champions of the Southland Conference, shot 33 percent (19-of-57) in their first NCAA Tournament appearance.

It was a game for about five minutes as six different Gators scored during a 13-2 run that increased their lead to 23-9 with 11:21 left in the first half.

Sam Houston State rallied to get within six points three times in a four-minute span later in the half, but Bonner scored five points in a 9-0 run that made it 38-23 with 37 seconds left in the half. Florida took a 38-24 lead into the break.

Lee led the way in the first half, scoring 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The Bearkats went just 8-of-28 as a team over the first 20 minutes.

Sam Houston State never got any closer in the second half as Justin Hamilton scored five points during an 8-0 surge that made it 52-27 with 15:10 left.

Roberson added nine in an 11-2 run that gave Florida its biggest lead, 81-48, with 3:53 remaining.

Bonner and freshman Christian Drejer chipped in seven points apiece for the Gators, who shot 52.5 percent from the field (32-of-61) while holding the Bearkats to 33 percent (19-of-57).