Final: Florida 80, Mississippi State 72

AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 80, MISSISSIPPI STATE 72

WHAT HAPPENED: Fifth-year senior forward Anthony Duruji scored 18 of his game- and season-high 22 points in the second half and the undermanned Gators, playing without senior leader Colin Castleton, erased an eight-point second-half deficit Wednesday night with a run of 10 straight points to overtake the Bulldogs and finish off a huge comeback Southeastern Conference victory at Exactech Arena. UF learned earlier in the day it would be without the 6-foot-11 Castleton after the team's leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots suffered a shoulder injury in practice the day before. After Castleton's replacement, junior center Jason Jitoboh, got in first-half trouble and MSU exploited its size advantage by outscoring UF 18-6 in paint points on the way to building a 41-35 halftime lead. The Gators managed to tie the game once, at 52-all, but the Bulldogs took over on a 9-1 run and eight-point lead at 61-53 inside nine minutes remaining. That was where the home team, starting with a steal and jumper by Phlandous Fleming Jr., took off on a 10-point tear that featured a couple buckets by Jitoboh and a wild four-point play by backup point guard Tyree Appleby that blew the roof off the O'Dome and put the Gators in position to finish off a second straight victory. Duruji finished six of eight from the floor, two of three from the 3-point line and with five steals over 31 minutes. Appleby, who came off the bench for a second straight game, had his finest game of the season in scoring 17 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing five assists over 28 minutes. Freshman Kowacie Reeves, in his third start, equaled his career high with 14 points, while Fleming gave the team a fourth player in double figures with 10 points, three rebounds and five assists. The Bulldogs were led by 17 points and six rebounds by 6-11 center Tulu Smith, as his team shot 50 percent for the game. The Gators shot 51 percent, including 54 after halftime with five 3-pointers.

Point guard **Tyree Appleby** lets fly a 3-pointer during Wednesday night's action.

WHAT IT MEANS: Winning a second straight SEC game, obviously, was significant, but to do so without their best player demonstrated some hidden substance and also put a spotlight on Jitoboh, who shook off his foul-plagued start to tally eight points, two rebounds and two blocks in his 16 minutes. The Bulldogs, who came into the ranked sitting at No. 47 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, represent the second-best victory of the season for the Gators, by NET standards, behind Ohio State (22) and ahead of Florida State (57th). The status of Castleton, though, will be the dominant storyline for this team in the coming days.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: There's a reason Duruji, the 6-7, 209-pound athletic transfer from Louisiana Tech, is showing up on 2022 NBA draft boards. He can do a lot of things and when he plays hard and sells, out of loose balls and jumps around in the post he is a difference-maker. And a year after shooting 26.3 percent from distance, Duruji is at 42.4 this season.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators outscored the Bulldogs 23-8 over the final 8:20, hitting seven of their last nine field-goal tries along the way.

UP NEXT: Florida (11-6, 2-3) is back home again Saturday afternoon to face Vanderbilt (10-7, 2-3), with a chance to even its record in SEC play. That would be something after the 0-3 start. The Commodores lost Tuesday night 68-60 at home to cross-state rival Tennessee. UF has won seven straight in the series, dating to the 2019 season.

Gators Calendar

Final: Florida 80, Mississippi State 72

Players Mentioned

Tyree Appleby

Colin Castleton

Anthony Duruji

Jason Jitoboh

Kowacie Reeves

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Final: Florida 80, Mississippi State 72

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Players Mentioned

Tyree Appleby

Colin Castleton

Anthony Duruji

Jason Jitoboh

Kowacie Reeves

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