Gators pull away from FAMU in second half with 89-68 win

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators bounced back from their loss to Virginia with an 89-68 win over Florida A&M on Monday. Florida overcame some poor shooting early and an off night from Riley Kugel with four other players in double figures.

The Rattlers played UF close for the majority of the first period and only trailed 38-28 at halftime. In the second half, however, the Gators stretched their lead to 20 points at the 12:08 mark and maintained that cushion for the rest of the game.

Florida shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the second period after a first-half shooting performance of 38.2 percent.

“I thought we just weren’t putting balls in around the rim, because we were getting some good second-chance opportunities, and we just weren’t finishing. A little bit of maybe a hangover from Friday night, just trying to get that loss out of our system,” UF coach Todd Golden said. “The challenge of getting this program where we need to get it, whether it’s Virginia or FAMU, we gotta come out with the same energy, the same enthusiasm. And I didn’t think we did that tonight, so just an area of growth that we identified.

“But second half, you know, we did. We came out and I thought we did a much better job dictating the second half. … We had 10 assists. I thought we played better offensively. There were moments where I thought we could break away. We never did. Credit to them, they hit some 3s in the second half kept them in it a little bit. But with that being said, still a 21-point win.”

Junior guard Will Richard led the team in scoring for the second straight game, finishing with 20 points after a 16-point performance vs. Virginia. It marked his second 20-point game with the Gators, along with a 24-point outing at Georgia last season.

“I thought we just came out too relaxed,” Richard said. “When we tried to ease our way into the game instead of coming out and being aggressive and that’s what led to the slow start.”

Junior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 18 points and a team-high five assists. Clayton rebounded from his performance against Virginia where he turned the ball over twice in the final minute.

“I don’t do well with losing at all, especially when I feel like I was a big part of it,” Clayton said. “My teammates around me, they’ve been picking me up, telling me I’m going to be alright. Obviously, I have to learn from my mistakes, so we just need to put it behind us and be better.”

Clayton added that Golden told the players to “wake up” at halftime.

“You all saw the first half and, obviously, we could’ve been better,” Clayton said. “We didn’t come out ready to play, so he told us to wake up.”

Sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen (12 points) and freshman center Alex Condon (17 points) also scored in double figures, with Condon knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.

“It’s a good start when you hit a few 3s,” Condon said. “I feel like I wasn’t me against Virginia. I just tried to force stuff too much. When I play confident, because I know I’ve done the work, I play a lot better and I think that showed tonight.”

Clayton (7-for-8) and Richard (6-for-7) both shot well from the line along with Condon (3-for-4) and Kugel (2-for-2), but the rest of the team was 35 percent (5-for-14). The charity stripe has been an issue for the Gators early on this season.

It was a quiet night for Kugel, a preseason first-team All-SEC selection who got poked in eye in the second half. After 23 points in the opener and 17 vs. Virginia, he finished with just 5 points against FAMU on 1-for-7 shooting. It marked his lowest scoring game since he had 4 points vs. Tennessee last season.

“I think it took him out of the game a little bit. Pretty red and was obviously a bother,” Golden said of Kugel’s eye. “Tried to get him another run to see if he could get through it, but it was a challenge for him. Hopefully it’s something he can get through and be ready to go by Friday.”

Graduate transfer forward Tyrese Samuel almost had a double-double, finishing with 9 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. The Rattlers were led by junior guard Love Bettis, who scored 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 3-for-5 from downtown.

The Gators are back in the O’Dome on Friday at 7 p.m. for a rivalry game against Florida State. Golden defeated the Seminoles 76-67 in Tallahassee during his inaugural season.

“We had an incredible game with them last year,” Golden said of FSU. “One of the craziest games I’ve ever coached in, to be honest, being down 16 or 17, come back and win by (nine) on their home floor was just a wild outcome. Obviously, it’s a rival. Should be I hope a really great crowd on Friday night with both teams off to good starts.

“They played well so far. They’re 2-0, handled both their opponents and they returned a lot from last year’s team. So, I think they’ll have more continuity. I think they’ll be more together that way. But just an awesome opportunity to get them in here on Friday night.”