Omar Carter had 20 points and six three pointers Wednesday, but the Bucs fell 89-64 to the two-time defending national champion Florida Gators in front of 10,012 fans at Florida's Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

The first half started slowly for the Bucs, as the team fell behind Florida 16-0 just four minutes in. The defending champs flexed their muscles early, with two members of last season's championship team, junior point guard Walter Hodge (13 points in the first half) and center Marreese Speights, causing problems for CSU in the early going in particular.

The Bucs would settle into the game after this stretch, however, and would actually outscore Billy Donovan's Gators over the course of the remainder of the first half. Barclay Radebaugh's squad was particularly effective from the perimeter, as the team's first six field goals of the first half came from behind the three point line. On the half, five different players connected on three pointers as the team connected on eight of 11 long range attempts (72.7%) in the game's opening 20 minutes

Leading the way for the Bucs in the first half was Omar, the reigning Freshman of the Week, who continued to build on his impressive 2007 credentials with nine points in the game's opening frame. Omar's final three of the half at the 8:35 mark cut the Florida lead to 10 and capped a stretch in which the Bucs held the Gators scoreless for 3 minutes and 30 seconds of game time.

Hodge and freshman Nick Calathes (10 points in the first half) continued to prove to be challenges for the Bucs to defend as the half progressed, but the Bucs hung tough thanks to their continued prowess from behind the arc. The halftime deficit could have been as close as 10 again, in fact, but a Giedrius Knysas (Vilnis, Lithuania) turnaround three pointer from half court at the first half's buzzer was ultimately waved off after a lengthy video review. As a result, the Gators took a 45-32 lead into the locker room.

Omar's hot hand in the first half would carry over to the second. By night's end, the freshman had captured the team lead in scoring with 20 points. All told, Omar connected on six of his nine three point attempts (66.7%) and seven of his 12 field goal attempts. Six other Bucs scored in the second half, including Shelton Carter, who joined Omar in double figures with 12 on the night.

The Bucs would not be able to rally on the Gators, however, as Florida consistently built on their lead over the course of the half. The twosome of Hodge and Calathes continued to play well for the Gators, with the freshman and junior finishing the night with 16 and 18 points respectively.

Speights and freshman Jai Lucas would also contribute to the Gators' scoring arsenal, as several thunderous dunks by Speights (14 points on the night) and a couple threes from Lucas (12 points) allowed the Gators to slowly and methodically build their lead.

The Bucs improved in several areas in the second half, as they committed just eight turnovers after committing 15 in the first half and allowed the Gators to connect on only three of their nine three point attempts in the final 20 minutes. However, continued strong overall shooting from Florida (57.6% for the game) was simply too much to overcome. The second half ended nearly identically to the first half, with a 44-32 edge to the Gators, yielding an 89-64 score at the game's final buzzer

On the night, the Bucs shot a very respectable 47.1% (24 for 51) from the field, and an even more impressive 54.5% (12 for 22) from three point range, against what has perennially been one of the best defenses in the nation. The Bucs also out-rebounded the Gators 29 to 28 for the game, including an impressive 18 to 9 edge on the boards in the first half. Shelton Carter lead the Bucs in rebounds with six, while freshman point guard Jamarco Warren (Gainesville, Ga.) lead the team in assists with five.

After making the lengthy trip back to Charleston, the Bucs will break for the holidays before returning to the court in preparation for their Saturday, December 29 road game against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, the same team CSU defeated 80-69 at CSU Field House just four days ago.