UF forward Al Horford reaches for a rebound during UF’s 90-53 win against Mississippi. Horford blocked seven Rebels, tying two UF records in the process.

Gainesville, FL (U-WIRE) -- When Mississippi sent Kendrick Fox - a 6-foot-7 forward who's more Allen Iverson than Shaquille O'Neal - to half-court for the jump ball, you could sense a blowout. When the Gators opened the second half with a 28-3 run, you could feel the blowout. When UF guard Taurean Green converted two free throws into 90 points and free Subway sandwiches for the fans, the beating had already passed.

"You don't want to come here when they're playing like that," Mississippi coach Rod Barnes said.

UF (16-6, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) dismantled the Rebels (12-13, 3-9 SEC) Wednesday night 90-53.

The Gators' rout was fueled by a game-long block party. UF swatted 10 Rebels, with freshman center Al Horford tallying a career-high seven blocks. The total tied UF's SEC- and O'Connell-Center-record for blocks in a game.

"The whole time they were backing into me, thinking I was just going to stand there," Horford said. "But I know once they let it go, I have to go for the block."

The Gators also exhibited good ball movement throughout the game, with no better example than the start of the second half. Junior guard Matt Walsh led the way with seven assists, as UF unraveled Ole Miss with crisp passing. David Lee complemented the effort with two poster-worthy dunks, both in the opening minutes of the halves.

But it was a hustle play that drew more attention than Lee's throwdowns. Early in the second half, Lee fell to the floor under his own basket while Mississippi raced the other way. Rather than jogging back, Lee recovered and sprinted back to swat a Mississippi layup onto the Rebels' bench.

"What I was thinking about was being in film session tomorrow and having Coach [Billy Donovan] say, 'Look how you're behind the players,'" Lee said. "'Look how you didn't get back on defense.'"

Lee also exhibited valor toward the end of the game when he attempted to draw a charge on guard Bam Doyne. Lee then peeled himself from the floor with a bloody lip that required three stitches.

The energy and determination was found in every UF player. With the Gators nursing a 46-33 halftime lead, Donovan chided his players for not flooring the pedal against the Rebels.

UF left the locker room a re-energized team.

"We have to have that killer mentality," freshman guard Corey Brewer said. "Coach told us that we had to come out of the half and put it to 'em. We can't let up."

Before this season, the phrases "killer mentality" and "Gators" could have qualified as antonyms. But after Wednesday's game, albeit versus an undersized SEC bottom-feeder, the players hinted that a knack for closing out teams is precisely what UF is trying to cultivate.

"Playing in this league and conference, feeling sorry is something that you leave to junior high," said junior Anthony Roberson, who scored a game-high 20 points. "You have to have a killer mentality where, if they're down 30, you want them down by 50. That's a mentality we're building right now and it's a mentality we have to have."

(C) 2004 Independent Florida Alligator via U-WIRE