Alex Fudge (3) attacks Stony Brook's Keenan Fitzmorris on his way to a game-high 16 points during Monday's opener. (Photo: Isabella Marley/UAA Communications)
Gators Give Golden 40 Good Minutes, First UF Win
Monday, November 7, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Todd Golden's first Florida team didn't waste much time setting the tone for his first Florida victory Monday night. The Gators scored the game's initial 12 points against Stony Brook and had a cushy 16-point lead at halftime, despite making just 3 of 15 shots from the 3-point line. That's because they dropped 14 of 20 inside the arc and worked the ball into the paint for 24 points against the Seawolves' stubborn zone.
Stubborn, as in 40 minutes worth of zone.
"We weren't expecting that," Golden said.
No matter. It took a half, but the Gators eventually settled in and added an outside touch to the equation, with the end result being an 81-45 wipeout of the Wolves that drew the curtain on the Golden era, much to the delight of an enthusiastic Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center home crowd.
A pair of transfers, forward Alex Fudge (from LSU) and guard Will Richard (Belmont), helped pace the home team with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Fifth-year senior forward Colin Castleton filled his stat line with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots. Florida (1-0) shot 47.5 percent for the game, including 40.0 percent from the 3-point line, courtesy of 7-for-10 marksmanship after intermission. Defensively, the Gators held the Wolves (0-1) to just 30.8 percent overall and six of 28 from deep (21.4 percent).
"We knew that we were better and we were trying to hit on that point and set the tone," said Fudge, who made six of his 12 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers. "We wanted to come out with aggression, ready to play."
A 12-0 lead a little more than five minutes into the game did that. Stony Brook's first field goal didn't come until the 13:39 mark, but Fudge answered with seven straight points, as the Gators took the lead out to 22-3. The Wolves actually cut the margin to 12 late in the first half, but six consecutive points late in the period, including a Castleton-to-Fudge feed on the block helped UF to a 38-22 halftime advantage.
The Gators were better in the second half.
"We dominated the paint, did a really good job on the glass and taking care of the ball," said Golden, whose team won the rebound battle 44-28 and forced 18 turnovers while committing just 10. "Those are areas that don't require a lot of talent. It's more about being physical and having will and desire to go get it."
Will Richard scored 11 of his 14 points after halftime, finishing four of five from the floor, including two of three from the 3-point line. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
Early in the second half, Castleton, the 6-foot-11, two-time All-Southeastern Conference performer, banged his surgically repaired left shoulder and doubled over in pain after getting fouled. He missed a pair of free throws, clearly bothered by the collision.
"It's sore, but I'll be all right," Castleton said.
He was, but so were his teammates, especially Richard, who scored 11 of his 14 points (on 4-for-5 from the floor) after the break to go with three rebounds and a couple steals. Defensively, UF limited SBU to just one field goal on its first 11 second-half shots, while the Gators were dropping four of their first five 3-balls of the period.
The Florida lead was deep into the 30s when Golden emptied his bench, even calling on walk-ons Alex Klatsky and Jack May, both of whom sent the Rowdy Reptiles into a tizzy by making the first baskets of their careers. Klatsky's was a 3.
Golden, who went 57-36 over three seasons at San Francisco in his previous head-coaching stop, had 13 of 15 players got in the scoring column. Eleven played at least nine minutes.
"My initial take-away, up by 30 in the second half and our guys are still trying to play the right way," said Golden, adding the 70 percent from the arc after intermission was due to cleaner shots that weren't rushed against the zone. "We didn't have guys going out there trying to get their baskets, being lazy defensively, shooting lanes, gambling and putting guys in bad positions. We played really solidly for 40 minutes."
Added Richard: "We knew two days ago who was going to start, but as far as who's going to play together, we have so many different combinations we can play with. We knew we were going to play with a lot of different lineups and they would be productive."
The Gators christened Todd Golden after his first victory as UF coach. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
And they all were, with the end result an encouraging start to a new era of Florida basketball, albeit against a severely out-manned opponent. The Gators, though, did not play down to the level of competition. Instead, they played to their level of preparation.
The 36-point victory margin was the largest for a UF coach (Golden being the 19th in program history) in his first game.
"Feels great," Golden said of that first "W," which was rewarded with a water-bottle drenching in the post-game locker room. "I thought we did a really good job of playing with purpose for 40 minutes."