Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center| Gainesville, Fla.
Box Score<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2022_2_5_1989629.PDF&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=1WVpYcfESzVRodO1kMgHUlSFQ3r41iTlG1hR22LGRY0NkUsxsjvdgDD69qqOe3M0&s=Jo8Drzb6VBN-smtr3vSjZ85UcSWGE-uI_z3bTd96jfE&e= > | Season Stats<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2021_11_9_2021-5F22-5FUFStats.pdf&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=1WVpYcfESzVRodO1kMgHUlSFQ3r41iTlG1hR22LGRY0NkUsxsjvdgDD69qqOe3M0&s=azeIUjCb9hX-KdmqN_7-ye7mBZm1dYdJwpgIlH5YcqA&e= >
Records: Florida 15-8 (5-5 SEC); Ole Miss 12-11 (3-7 SEC)
Next up for Florida: Home vs. Georgia, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network
Notable
* Florida rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to earn the overtime win, as Colin Castleton posted 17 points and seven rebounds in his return from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the past six games. The Gators went on a 9-0 run during the extra period that put the game out of reach.
* Florida’s defense keyed the rally, as UF didn’t allow a point for the first five minutes of the second half and allowed no field goals for the first 10 minutes after the break.
* The Gators’ 3-point shooting also picked up, as Florida bounced back from a 2-for-13 first half to shoot 6-for-12 beyond the arc in the second half and overtime.
* Tyree Appleby posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists, shooting 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
* Myreon Jones shot 2-for-4 from 3-point range, including one that put Florida up nine, 59-50, in the final minute of overtime. Jones is 7-for-12 from 3 over the past two games.
* Niels Lane made his first career start, as the Gators used their 10th different starting lineup combination of the season. Lane has emerged as a defensive stopper for the Gators, who were +10 with Lane on the floor today.
Head Coach Mike White
On the win…
“A couple in a row, at least, where it could have gone either way so easily. You’re just searching offensively and defensively. Late first half we were in a tough spot. Ole Miss was controlling the game, controlling the glass to a high degree. Playing with a good rhythm. Playing with confidence. I thought our defensive effort in the second half was much better. I thought it was high level, especially late last ten minutes of the game. The five that were out there were getting after it. I’m not sure we could have played any harder than that, led by Colin Castleton. I think in the past three weeks he’s played a combined four minutes of full court competition and that was yesterday in practice, and it was half the intensity level of that. He was trying to get to the game without bumping anything. He was kind of walking on eggshells because he hasn’t done much in however long it has been. The performance, forget the points and rebounds, he’s plus 16. 34 minutes. I never could have imagined he would have played 34 minutes today. Jarkel Joiner is one of the best point guards in our league. He hadn’t played in forever, if I’m not mistaken, and he plays 40.”
On second-half comebacks…
“You don’t want to play with it too much of course. You want to be the best version of us and each individual for 40 minutes. That’s what we are all looking for. Can we get nine, ten guys to play really well on one night? That’s what every team in our league is trying to do, of course. So, there’s some negative to it, but the positive to it is that, again, this group adversity, adversity, adversity. I know I just wear it out. Resiliency. The confidence to stay the course and the increased mental toughness level. More in game adversity in this one. Not so much with foul trouble, which we’ve dealt with, especially earlier on. How many late clock buzzer shots did they hit? Credit them. I thought late clock they were fantastic. I thought Ole Miss played with a lot of poise. It seemed like every other possession I was looking up and the guys got a live bounce with six seconds. You’re sitting there and you are grinding your teeth. Can we just finish this stop without fouling? Then, bucket. At least a few times, if I’m not mistaken. Earlier in the year, we didn’t respond well to those types of adversities, so proud of that.”
#12 Colin Castleton, Senior Forward
On coming back…
“It felt great being able to just hoop. Like I was telling them in the other interview, just hooping is what I love. So, just being able to be out there with my teammates, my brothers felt great. I was definitely tired, but shoot, that’s just what comes with it, so I’ve got to keep building that stamina up.”
On missing the last few weeks…
“It was definitely rough not being able to play out there, but I believed in my teammates. Like I said, those are my brothers. They go in every night, and they fight. They practice hard every day. Just being able to be there for them, to be an extra extension of the coaching staff, which is what they told me: just take it day by day, keep doing rehab and just keep doing what you’re doing because you’ll have an opportunity if you just keep doing what you’re doing as far as rehab and just having the right mindset. At first it was definitely hard not being able to play because if somebody takes something you love away from you, it definitely hurts. But you know there is an end to it, so I was able to just get through it and back to hoopin’.”
On whether he expected 17 points and 34 minutes…
“I just played. I didn’t even think about anything. I try not to overthink about certain things. They told me that I wasn’t going to be on any restriction because I knew if I was going to get put on, I was going to play. They told me ‘See how you feel, play as much as possible.’ They need me and I just fight through it all. I felt good for most of the time besides when I got that cramp. But, the points, I didn’t even care about that. That was just my teammates putting me in the right spots. I’ve got to make a little bit more layups because I was flat on a couple layups. But, it was my teammates putting me in the right spot, my coaches putting me in the right spot. I was just worried about the stamina part, but I felt good.”
On Appleby’s double-double…
“I didn’t even see that. Dang, that’s crazy. Double-double with assists, wow. That’s impressive I’m not going to lie. He didn’t care about shots that weren’t going in. He just kept playing hard, finding me, finding my teammates and he was knocking his free throws down. He really won us the game down the stretch. If you foul him, you’ve got to know he’s going to make them. That was a big performance for him but, I didn’t even realize that. That’s crazy.”
#44 Niels Lane, Sophomore Guard
On the halftime mood…
“We knew as a team that we weren’t defending as well in the first half. Just like the Oklahoma State game we had to come back in the second half and really lock in on defense. I think that’s our biggest strength, but it can also be our biggest deficit, so we definitely had to lock in on the second half on defense.
On mindset going into the starting five…
“My role on the team is to shoot oversized rebounders and defend. I feel like defending is really my best attribute so I really don’t have a problem with just going out there and doing what I do best.”
On earning the start…
“As you guys know, my season started slow. I wasn’t really getting much opportunity, but I just stayed the course. Like I said earlier, kept doing what I do best which is play defense, showing them in practice. When I get my opportunities in the game, just lock up whoever I’m guarding, be in the right spots, and do what I’m supposed to do, and that’s what got me my opportunity.”
