Hall of Fame Series
Spectrum Center| Charlotte, N.C.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/11/10/2023.11.10_Florida_vs._Virginia.PDF> | Season Stats<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/11/6/2023-24_FloridaStatistics.pdf> | Press Conference Videos<https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iv6cc1nl98a49pv/AAD_LkZm6hKvVz7FpyboOUR1a?dl=0>
Records: Florida 1-1; Virginia 2-0
Next up for Florida: Florida A&M, Tuesday, 7 p.m., SEC+
Notable
* Florida battled back from an 11-point second-half deficit, briefly taking the lead at the 8:15 mark after a 12-0 run. The Gators stayed neck-and-neck the remainder of the game but could not convert down two on their final possession.
* Will Richard led the Gators in scoring with 16 points, shooting 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. It marked his sixth game as a Gator with four or more made 3-pointers.
* Playing just down the road from his hometown, Micah Handlogten recorded his first double-double as a Gator, tallying 14 points and 14 rebounds.
* Tyrese Samuel also notched his first UF double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
* Handlogten and Samuel became the first Gator duo to post double-doubles in the same game since Kerry Blackshear Jr. (11 points, 16 rebounds) and Omar Payne (19 points, 11 rebounds) did so against Auburn (1/18/20)
Stat correction note: A 3-pointer made by Walter Clayton Jr. was incorrectly credited to Riley Kugel during the game. A postgame correction was made, reflected in the box score and season stats shared above.
Head Coach Todd Golden
On his initial impression of the game…
“I thought we did a great job to start. We were ready to play. Our starters did a really good job early. Obviously, we made some substations and it went the other way quick. I felt like we didn’t gather ourselves very well after that. One of the things we talked about before the game, we thought we had a really good game plan, but there was going to be a point where they punched us in the mouth. What was our response going to be? I didn’t think we responded well enough until after the half and allowed them to get a little comfortable and little physical with us. I thought it was a physical game, a really physical game.”
On Walter Clayton Jr….
“I think he and the rest of the guys are pretty upset. This is a game we were looking forward to, and we fell a little short. But the staff, the team, loves him and we’re really confident in him as we move forward. We’re asking a lot of him right now. He played 35 minutes for us, all on the ball. When ZP [Zyon Pullin] gets back next week, it’s going to take a little pressure off the rest of our backcourt and allow him to take some of those minutes and allow those guys to rest a little bit. But these guys, Riley and Walt played 35 each. They didn’t have their best games, but I thought they stepped up in the second half. We went down 11 an that was another moment – ‘What are we going to be made of?’ – and we came back with a 12-0 run to take the lead. So that was something we were proud about as well. Super disappointed that we lost, but I’m confident in this team and really excited for the rest of our season.
Sophomore C Micah Handlogten
On the turnovers…
“Big game-changer. To have 16 turnovers is a big deal for us. We have to take care of the ball better. If we had 11 it would have been bad, but probably would have come out with the win.”
On losing the game…
“A tough loss. We came out with a lot of energy and really punched them in the face from the start. After that, I think we got a little comfortable and laid back a little bit. It showed. It’s something we can work on and we will. I mean, we battled back and had multiple opportunities at the end of the game. Just a tough way to lose.”
