Florida Star Walter Clayton Jr. Held Scoreless in First Half vs. Houston

Ryan Phillips | Apr 7, 2025

Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. was held scoreless during the first half of the 2025 national championship game. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Walter Clayton Jr. had a rough first 20 minutes of the 2025 national title game.

Like many of his teammates, Clayton struggled to find the hoop during the first half against Houston. The Cougars largely locked down the All-American guard, holding him scoreless. That helped Houston get to halftime with a 31-28 lead.

After dominating the tournament for the last two weeks, Clayton went 0-for-4 from the field, with all of his shots three-pointers. He had two rebounds and two turnovers, but did dish out a game-high five assists. Fellow guard Will Richard kept the Gators afloat, pouring in 14 points, including going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while adding five rebounds.

Clayton has been on a roll in the tournament. He entered the title game averaging 24.6 points and shooting 50.0% from the field and 48.7% from three-point range in his team's five games thus far. He has topped 30 points in back to-back contests, dropping in 30 against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, while racking up 34 against Auburn in the Final Four.

The Gators are going to need their senior star to get it going if they want to beat a really good Houston team and earn the program's first national championship since 2007.

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