Final: Florida 66, South Florida 55
Saturday, December 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 66, SOUTH FLORIDA 55
FLORIDA 66, SOUTH FLORIDA 55
WHAT HAPPENED: Senior forward Colin Castleton scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while fifth-year front-court mate Anthony Duruji pitched in 11 points and nine boards in the Gators' win over the cross-state foe Bulls during Saturday's Orange Bowl Classic at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. Castleton, like his team, started slowly and only put in three of nine shots, but he was active on the glass. Duruji went 4-for-8 from the floor, with a couple 3s on his four attempts. Castleton and Duruji combined for nine of UF's 18 offensive rebounds (compared to just nine for USF) and helped the Gators overcome 17 turnovers. The Gators missed eight of their first nine field-goal attempts and trailed by seven at the first media timeout. But a run of seven points, keyed by a bucket, two assists and steal/slam by point guard Tyree Appleby (6 points, 5 assists), tied the game at 10. Florida off off on a 17-2 spree to end the first half, including the period's last 10 points, to take a 30-18 lead to the locker room with nine different players having tallied field goals. The Gators increased the lead to 16 early into the second half, but the Bulls stuck around. They chipped away little by little, with a 7-0 run, capped by their first 3-pointer of the game, courtesy of forward Jake Boggs, cutting the UF lead to just three, at 48-45, with just under nine minutes to play. But an old-time three-point play by senior guard Myreon Jones (8 points, 4 rebounds) kicked in a 9-1 run that was capped when Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (12 points) swatted a run-out layup attempt by Jamir Chaplin off a UF turnover. The play kicked in a transition opportunity, with Jones rimming out a layup and Castleton following with a flush that put the Gators up by 11 with just over five minutes to go. Florida shot just 39 percent from the floor and went eight of 26 from the 3-point line (31 percent). USF hit 42.1 percent and converted only two of its 11 from deep. The Gators finished with a big 45-27 overall advantage on the glass, with five different players snaring at least four rebounds. Bulls freshman guard Caleb Murphy led all scorers with 16 points on 8-for-17 from the floor.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Castleton was named MVP of the event, UF's first to receive the OBC honor since Jalen Hudson against Florida Gulf Coast in 2018. Castleton carded his fifth double-double of the season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Officials called four fouls in the first half. Repeat: Four!. The Gators did not get whistled for their first (and only) foul of the period until Brandon McKissic was called for a hand check with 39.9 seconds to go. A total of two free throws were taken over the first 20 minutes.
UP NEXT: Florida (8-3) will close out the non-conference schedule Wednesday afternoon with a home game against Stony Brook. The Sea Wolves (6-4), out of the America East Conference, are on a three-game winning streak (with victories over Hofstra, Bryant and Central Connecticut) heading into Saturday night's home game against Saint Peter's.
Players Mentioned
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Alex Condon Media Availability 9-22-25
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Todd Golden Media Availability 9-22-25
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Xaivian Lee Press Conference 6-17-25
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