Florida Gators Overcome Sluggish Start to Crawl Past FAMU, 89-68
Holding just a ten-point lead over Florida A&M at the halftime break, Florida players sat in the locker room awaiting their address from head coach Todd Golden.
According to Walter Clayton Jr., the message was simple: "Wake up."
The Gators answered the call relative to their first-half form, scoring 51 points in the final half to produce a 21-point victory in game three, 89-68. They walk away with their second victory of the season and move to 2-1 on the year as a result.
Florida started the contest slow from the floor, connecting on just one of their first 13 shot attempts — most of which at the bucket — despite hauling in seven offensive boards during the stretch. The scoring picked up in the final ten minutes of the half, resulting in the Gators posting 38 points at the halftime break.
Gators junior wing Will Richard sparked the unit with a dynamic three-possession sequence, where he connected on a triple, blocked a shot at the cup on the defensive end, and then laid the ball up through traffic on the other end.
His 12 first-half points and five rebounds, all offensive, provided Florida with breathing room despite the overall lethargic 20 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen also shined his in 10 minutes in the first half, finishing with 12 points to produce his first double-digit scoring game of his career.
However, the Gators shot just 38% from the floor, 25% from three and 58% from the charity stripe during the half.
The Rattlers took advantage of the window of opportunity UF left for them to close the once 15-point lead late to 10 before heading into the locker room.
The sluggish play remained prior to the first media timeout in the first half as the Gators' lead was trimmed to eight. However, after the first break, Florida found a rhythm, going on a 21-10 run over 6:30.
It kickstarted the unit to open the lead to as much as 23 with 0:41 remaining in the contest. The surge came on the back of Richard, Clayton and Alex Condon.
The trio finished with 20, 18 and 17 points, respectively, to lead the Gators on the evening.
Clayton's 18 points, five assists and just one turnover illustrated a promising response from the junior guard in his first year with the team following his tough late-game sequence (two turnovers on the final two possessions) in Florida's narrow loss to Virginia on Friday.
Gators freshman forward Alex Condon emerged late, accounting for 17 points, in the second half to keep FAMU at arm's length.
Florida moves forward at 2-1, gearing up for their second Power Six contest of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Gators will retake the hardwood inside the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Friday night, playing host to the Florida State Seminoles for the annual Sunshine State matchup. It will also be the first contest for senior guard Zyon Pullin, following his three-game suspension to begin the year.
The rivalry bout will tip-off at 7 p.m. ET.
Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
Get your Gators football, basketball, baseball and other sporting events tickets from SI Tickets here.
