Florida Gators Hoops Earn Dominant Victory Over Ohio, 82-48
The Gators traveled south to Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday to begin a two-game stretch of neutral-site contests.
Taking on the Ohio Bobcats in Amalie Arena, Florida looked to rebound following an offensively-stagnant 21-point loss to UConn a week ago. They did that en route to an 82-48 blowout of Jeff Boals's squad.
Returning Kyle Lofton and Will Richard to the starting lineup after the extended stretch of off days, the Gators found their groove on the offensive end to overpower a Bobcats squad that showcased its ability to hang with power six programs early in the 2022-23 campaign.
The Gators began the contest with Colin Castleton leading the charge with three early buckets on the interior. Ohio's leading scorer on the season, forward Dwight Wilson, started hot from the floor to support the Bobcats on the offensive end with eight of the unit's first 10 points through the first 10 minutes.
At that point, it looked like a game shaping up to be a battle of the big men.
That quickly changed as Florida's all-around effort on both ends made it difficult for the Bobcats to stick around down the stretch of the first half. The Gators forced Ohio to go scoreless for 7:13 in the period and forced five turnovers during that span.
That opened the door for Todd Golden's unit to go on a 17-0 run to head into the locker room break leading by 24 points, their highest lead to that point. Lofton led the Gators scoring efforts throughout the first 20 minutes with 12 on 75% from the field and three assists as he re-inserted himself into the starting lineup in an efficient fashion. He finished with 15 and three.
Kowacie Reeves Jr. added 10 points of his own -- including a triple on the last possession of the half -- to give complement Lofton's production offensively.
He maintained the hot hand in the second half to overtake Lofton as the team's leading scorer for the contest with 20, adding 10 points to his first-half total at an uber-efficient rate of 64% from the floor.
Despite the promising positives the Gators displayed, Ohio didn't allow the contest to be entirely smooth sailing for UF. When the teams exited the halftime locker room, Florida failed to protect the basketball at a rate sufficient to translate the performance to power six opponents.
Turning the ball over four times in the first five minutes of the half -- characterized by big men attempting to dribble through practice and errant passes from the guards -- Florida allowed a brief spurt from Ohio, albeit short-lived, before returning to its first-half form to continue their onslaught of dominance down the stretch.
The intensity on the defensive end shined as the most promising aspect of the performance, forcing difficult shots from Wilson, held to just 13 points after eight in the first 20 minutes, and the Bobcats.
They shot just 31% from the floor and 21% from three compared to Florida's 52% and 45%.
Trey Bonham, Alex Fudge, Lofton and Reeves produced double-digit points for the Gators. Fudge earned a double-double with 13 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
The Gators will have another six days before they retake the hardwood on Tuesday for a crucial matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners as part of the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C. Florida looks for its first win over a power six team this season.
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