Gators Overcome Sluggish First Half to Cruise to Win Over Stetson, 89-51
Will Richard returned from a one-game absence to lead the Gators to a comfortable victory over in-state foe Stetson on Sunday afternoon, 89-51.
Coming off the bench for the first time this season, following knee inflammation that held him out of Wednesday's bout with FAMU, Richard provided an immediate spark on the offensive end to a sluggish Gators squad through the first seven minutes of actions.
He knocked down a triple on his first offensive possession in the game for Florida to eclipse the double-digit mark in points with 12:23 remaining in the half. His excellence continued throughout the half as he knocked down all three of his shot attempts — all from beyond the arc — to head into the break as UF's leading scorer with nine points.
He finished a perfect 5-for-5 from the field with 14 points to propel the Gators to another wide-margined win.
The first half was characterized by a slow start for Florida, turning the ball over nine times and struggling to score the basketball as they shot just over 40%.
Florida's defensive prowess — forcing nine turnovers of their own and a 29.6% shooting clip — throughout the first half allowed them to maintain an arm's length on the Hatters.
However, a concerted bench effort from Richard and CJ Felder gave Florida the juice it needed to begin separating from Stetson heading into the halftime break.
Alex Fudge, seeing starting action for the first time in orange and blue, also contributed as he continued playing with the purpose the coaches asked of him in the second half against FAMU. He led all starters with six points and the team in rebounds (six). He finished with 11 points and eight rebounds on the day.
Their efforts sparked the all-around efficiency seen from a plethora of faces on that end in the final 20 minutes of play. When the team retook the hardwood for the second half, the offensive inefficiency fizzled out for the Gators.
Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Trey Bonham buried back-to-back three-pointers on the first two possessions to open the floodgates on Stetson. The early six-point swing put Florida ahead by 17 just a minute into the period, forcing Stetson head coach and former Florida assistant under Billy Donovan, Donnie Jones, to burn an early timeout to regain his groups composure.
That strategy came in vain as Florida maintained its newfound scoring success to finish the contest early in the second half. They posted 56 second-half points after just 33 in the first, shooting 61.3% from the field after the break.
The Gators continued their separation from the Hatters to build a 30-point lead with nine minutes remaining on a dish from Bonham to Richard for a layup in the fast break. Aleks Szymczyk knocked down two free throws to build the largest lead of the day at 40.
Five Gators finished the contest in double digits, as Richard, Reeves (12), Castleton (11), Fudge (11) and Bonham (10) eclipsed the mark, while 12 of the 14 players to see action got on the board with at least one point in the stat sheet.
Point guard Kyle Lofton was the only inactive as he remains out with back spasms.
The Gators will now look to maintain the momentum they built in the last two games when they host undefeated No. 8 UConn inside Exactech Arena on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
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