Gators' Late Run Seals Rivalry Road Win

Friday, November 15

Tallahassee, FL

6 PM

Florida Gators

4-0,0-0SEC

Florida State

3-1,0-0ACC

Florida

Florida St.

Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators with 25 points, including four 3-pointers.

Gators' Late Run Seals Rivalry Road Win

Friday, November 15, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Denver Parler

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida's late 10-0 run sealed the Gators' victory after Florida State closed within four at the 2:23 mark. Thomas Haugh converted both ends of a 1-and-1, then Alijah Martin banked in a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock to push the lead back to nine. The next five points came from Walter Clayton Jr. off a 3-pointer and a layup to put the game out of reach.

Clayton finished with a game-high 25 points, while Martin added 17 and Sam Alexis added 12, his third straight double-figure scoring game off the bench.

UF's explosive 14-2 first-half run powered the Gators to a double-digit advantage that grew as large as 18. The 14-2 stretch included two 3-pointers from Martin, one from Clayton and another from Will Richard.

Florida State pressured the Gators into 19 turnovers, but UF's 47-29 rebounding advantage helped make up for the turnovers.

Notable

The Gators' 47-29 rebounding advantage helped power Florida to its fourth straight win over Florida State and a 4-0 start to the 2024-25 campaign. UF led by as many as 18 in the first half, and while a late FSU surge got the Seminoles within four in the closing minutes, the Gators responded with a 10-0 run to seal the game.
Walter Clayton scored 16 of his 25 in the first half, finishing 10-for-15 from the field with four 3-pointers.
- Clayton becomes the fourth transfer in UF history to knock down 100 3-pointers (103), joining Dorian Finney-Smith (159), Will Richard (126) and Jalen Hudson (122).
- Clayton extended his streak to 27 straight games with a 3-pointer made, the seventh-longest streak in program history.
Alijah Martin scored a season-high 17 points, knocking down three 3-pointers.
Sam Alexis chipped in 12 points off the bench, his third straight double-figure game.
Urban Klavzar made his collegiate debut and knocked down his only shot attempt.
On the Gators' 14-2 first-half run, UF shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range with Clayton knocking in two and Alijah Martin and Will Richard adding one each.
Florida has won back-to-back games at Tallahassee for the first time since 2010 and 2012. UF's four straight victories overall in the series match the team's fourth-longest win streak vs. FSU (7, 1965-68; 6, 1998-2004; 5, 2009-13).
Todd Golden is the third coach in Florida history and the first in nearly 50 years to win his first three meetings with Florida State, joining Tommy Bartlett (12/7/66, 2/22/67, 12/7/67) and John Mauer (12/29/51, 12/28/54, 12/10/56 – first three meetings in series history).

Head Coach Todd Golden
On handling FSU's pressure…
"Honestly, I thought we handled the press well. I thought it was more the half-court pressure that we had issues with. We did a good job staying organized. I think we only had one or two turnovers in regards to them trying to keep us from getting the ball inbounds. But we had lapses. I thought early in the game, we struggled, which can happen, especially the first time you play a team like Florida State with their athleticism, their length, their quickness. Middle of the first half, I thought we were really, really good. We got up 18 points, and a big part of that was just taking care of the basketball. We had eight turnovers at halftime; we had 11 in the second half. If the end of that game had gone differently, that would've been the issue. That would've been what we pointed at and said, 'This is what cost us the game.' We had some guys step up and make some big shots late, kind of saved us. Obviously, we have to do a much better job taking care of the ball, especially as we will see more teams that guard like this when we get into SEC play."

On winning the rebounding battle…
"That was the offset for us. We lost the turnover battle by 11, but we won the boards by 18. Sometimes, it's as simple as that. We shot 52 [percent] from the field, but they won the shot battle. They got nine more attempts than we did and four more free throws than we did. That's usually a losing proposition, but the glass is what saved us tonight."

Junior F Sam Alexis
On getting a big road win…
"I feel like this was growth for us as a team. We haven't played away against a different crowd yet, so I feel like this was a great win for our future when it's SEC time."

On making contributions off the bench…
"It feels great. It's my home state, the Gators, so it's always a pleasure to be here and playing in front of FSU. I didn't play in Florida my whole two years in Chattanooga, so it's great to be here."

Senior G Walter Clayton Jr.
On how much trash he's going to talk to the Florida State fans in his family…
"A lot. We ain't family tonight, but once 12 a.m. hits, then we'll be back to being family, and I'm gonna let them know."

On handling FSU's pressure…
"We can definitely do a better job. Some things we did, it was our fault – tough passes, trying to complete those. We've got to clean those up, and we'll be all right."

On making seven first-half 3-pointers…
"It felt good. Our bigs are such threats to score in the paint, so whenever they try to collapse on them and they're kicking it out, that's when guards are hitting shots, which is good for us."