FINAL: Florida 71, Florida State 55
Sunday, November 14, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 71, No. 20 FLORIDA STATE 55
FLORIDA 71, No. 20 FLORIDA STATE 55
WHAT HAPPENED: Senior forward Colin Castleton tallied 15 points, plus game highs of 16 rebounds and six blocks, while a quartet of fifth years, forward Anthony Duruji and guards Tyree Appleby, Brandon McKissic and Phlandrous Fleming Jr., provided points and energy during a vicious second-half run that propelled the Gators to blowout victory of the 20th-ranked Seminoles and snapped a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry series Sunday at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. FSU led by one, 45-44, with less than 11 minutes to go when UF took off on a 13-0 run that began with a stickback bucket by Castleton and was followed by a 3-ball from McKissic. Things got crazy from there, as the Gators became the aggressors against an opponent that for the last seven years has, frankly, been tougher and more physical when these two teams met. Not this time. Castleton hit five of his nine shots, with eight offensive rebounds. Duruji finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, including a couple highlight dunks. McKissic had 12 points and was a defensive menace from the jump, helping hold FSU's best offensive player, Houston transfer Caleb Mills, to just two points. Fleming, battling the flu the previous 24 hours, played 22 minutes off the bench and scored nine points, including a huge 3-ball during that 13-point run and eventually began a 29-9 spree. Senior guard Myreon Jones was a fourth UF player in double figures with 12 points, along with six rebounds. Defensively, Florida smothered FSU after halftime, holding the Seminoles to just 9-for-27 from the floor (33.3 percent) and forcing 11 turnovers. UF, meanwhile, hit 43.3 percent after the break and dominated the glass 24-13. FSU led by two points, 30-28, after a defensive first half on both ends. The Seminoles, after a 1-for-10 start and Mills playing just three minutes due to foul trouble, crawled back to 44 percent for the period, including 4-for-7 from the 3-point line, while the Gators hit just 34.4 percent and hit just three of 12 from deep. They were in the game, though. And they finished it, this time, for the first win over FSU since the 2013-14 season that ended in the Final Four. All five UF starters logged at least 29 minutes, including Castleton with 33, and Duruji and Jones with 36.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Castleton, against a team that ranks as the second-tallest in the nation by KenPom.com metrics, was the best "big" on the floor, and it wasn't close. And that's not to say anything negative about FSU's Malik Osborne, who had all-around game with 18 points and six rebounds that included a pair of 3-pointers. Castleton was just better on this day. Way better.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: To think the Gators could turn the ball over 17 times against a team as year-in-and-year-out dominant on defense and still win going away, well, that speaks to the defense the Gators were able to play; on a day when a couple players (Tyree Appleby and Fleming, most notably) were dealing with flu issues.
UP NEXT: Florida (2-0) is back home Thursday night against Milwaukee (1-1). The Panthers, out of the Horizon League, opened the season with an easy win at North Dakota, then dropped their home opener Saturday night against Eastern Kentucky. UW-M has an interesting roster, having signed the first McDonald's All American in program history in 6-9 freshman forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., the son of the Panthers' head coach, as well as Vin Baker Jr., a 6-9 junior forward and son father of the former NBA All-Star by the same name.
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