FINAL: No. 21 Florida 84, Florida A&M 60

What Happened

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Senior guard Will Richard scored 20 points to lead four Florida players into double-figure scoring, as the 21st-ranked Gators beat Florida A&M 84-60 to remain unbeaten Tuesday night at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.

Richard had half his points during a first half when the home team used a 19-2 blitz to end end the period and open a 24-point cushion against the over-matched Rattlers and were never threatened, despite a sloppy second half of offense -- just 34.3 percent from the floor -- the likes of which will spell trouble when it comes time for Southeastern Conference play.

Richard, making his 100th career start, hit eight of 15 shots, three of nine 3-point attempts and grabbed seven rebounds. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. had 17 points, all but three in the first half, to go with five assists, while guard Alijah Martin, the transfer from Florida Atlantic, had 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh came off the bench for 12 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Alex Condon had eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

UF was forced to play without two of its top reserves, as junior forward Sam Alexis and junior point guard Denzel Aberdeen sat out due to illnesses.

Florida had a 30-point lead in the second half, 60-30, with just over 13 minutes to go, but was outscored 30-24 the rest of the way (and stalemated 38-all for the half), a development that will not sit well with Coach Todd Golden and his staff. The Gators' ugly second-half dumped them to 41.2-percent shooting for the game, including just 10 of 34 from the 3-point line (29 percent) against one of lowest-ranked defensive teams in Division I. They held the Rattlers to just 34.5 percent for the game.

UF sophomore forward **Thomas Haugh** with a layup during the Gators' 19-2 run to end the first half.

What it Means

Another low-major win falls in the right column. The Gators will have a handful of these bottom-half KenPom.com wins before the SEC season starts, but the Rattlers represented the lowest-rated team on the schedule. UF is now 14-0 all-time against FAMU in the series that dates to 1991, with the Gators' average victory margin 31.6 points.

In the Spotlight

The home fans got to see the most action yet from a first-year Gators Urban Klavzar, the sophomore from Slovenia, and Isaiah Brown, the freshman wing from Orlando. Klavžar's normally hot shooting hand was cold Tuesday, as he finished with two points on 1-for-7 shooting, but had three assists over 15 minutes. Brown had nine points, including a pair of 3s during the late run of the first half, and two rebounds.

Staggering Statistic

The Gators' 34.3-percent second half included a stretch of 10 consecutive missed field goals.

Up Next

Florida (5-0) is back home Friday night to face Southern Illinois (2-2), when the Gators will have a chance to equal their best start in 12 years. UF began the 2021-22 season with six straight victories, as well. The program's last 7-0 start came in 2012. The Salukis's last outing was Monday's 69-44 home defeat of North Dakota State.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu

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