#7/6 Florida 90, RV North Carolina 84
Jumpman Invitational
Spectrum Center | Charlotte, N.C.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/12/17/2024.12.17_Florida_vs._North_Carolina.PDF> | Season Stats<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/11/15/2024-25_UFstats.pdf> | Courtesy Photos & Press Conferences<https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rb8ojhaf9ygpi6d0k3c9e/ANF6-ow4Wppu1j1zjAsnMXA?rlkey=g1esu5ww8r31yd8dyekcik5iw&st=3b1ht5u5&dl=0>
Records: Florida 11-0; North Carolina 6-5, 1-0 ACC
Next Up: Saturday, 12 p.m., North Florida, SEC Network
Notable
* Florida outlasted North Carolina in a hostile environment, outscoring the Tar Heels 8-0 over the final two minutes and outrebounding them 6-0 over that stretch. Will Richard’s 22 points led the Gators, and his offensive rebound and putback with 54 seconds left broke the 84-all tie and put Florida ahead for good.
* At 11-0, UF has its second-best start in program history (17-0 in 2005-06). Before tonight’s six-point win, the first 10 had been by a margin of at least 13 points. UF has a +19.7 average margin of victory.
* UF’s 11-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the nation, the eighth-longest in program history and UF’s longest since its 30-game run in the 2013-14 season.
* Will Richard scored his team-leading 22 points on just 10 field goal attempts, shooting 8-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
* Alijah Martin added 19 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 2:29 remaining.
* Walter Clayton Jr. added 12 points and now has hit a 3-pointer in 34 straight games, tying Kenny Boynton (2011-12) for the third-longest streak in UF history and the longest since Michael Frazier’s record 41-game streak (Jan. 2014-Jan. 2015).
* Denzel Aberdeen matched a season high with 12 points off the bench on 5-for-6 shooting (2-for-2 from 3).
* UF knocked down 11 3-pointers and has made double-digit 3s in seven of the last eight games, averaging 11.1 made over that span.
* Florida posted a +10 rebounding margin, led by Alex Condon’s 10 boards, his second double-digit rebounding game this season (sixth career).
* The Gators held North Carolina to 5-for-28 shooting (.179) from 3-point range.
Head Coach Todd Golden
Opening statement…
“Incredibly proud of my group tonight. I thought we played a great first half, really got out and set the tone. I thought Will [Richard] was amazing in the first half – well, the whole game, but really in the first half getting us going offensively. I think we were up 17 and playing really great basketball, and obviously you play a team like Carolina you know they’re not going away easy, they cut it to 12 at halftime. I was not pleased with the way we performed coming out of halftime. That’s really the first time all year where we’ve allowed a team to dictate the terms of the game. Credit to them, though, I thought they were really a lot more aggressive defensively and then trying to get downhill driving the ball in the second half. To their credit, they made it a great game. The thing I’m most proud of our group, four minutes to go in the game, down four in our huddle, I saw no disappointment. I saw nobody pointing fingers. I saw guys that were poised and ready to attack the last four minutes – just defend, rebound and take care of the ball. I think we held them scoreless the last two minutes. I think we outrebounded them 8-1 down the stretch. Big-time offensive rebounds that allowed us to get an and-1 and then get two free throws to ice it down the stretch. To be honest, we haven’t had a game like this yet. We’ve won every game before this by double figures, and so to be able to push through in a game where we trailed back and forth through the second half, I think is obviously great for us and will help prepare us for SEC play.”
Grad G Alijah Martin
On winning a hard-fought game in a tough environment vs. comfortable wins they’ve been having…
“Definitely, in these type of environments, you get the best out of everybody on our team. You can see the best of everybody, and you can see what type of leadership you have. That gives you confidence to go down in the stretch of the season to get it out of the muck.”
On hitting a game-tying 3-pointer despite a tough night shooting…
“Just having confidence in myself. I work my butt off, and big-time players make big-time plays.”
Senior G Will Richard
On winning a hard-fought game in a tough environment vs. comfortable wins they’ve been having…
“I’m not gonna lie, I’d much rather win by a good amount. [Laughter] We know the rest of the season isn’t going to be easy, but it’s definitely preparing us for conference and the rest of the games we’ve got coming up. Definitely good to face a little adversity.”
On what he saw on his go-ahead offensive rebound and put-back…
“Just trying to be aggressive, make a play. We were obviously tied, so just trying to be aggressive and then once I got the offensive rebound, just trying to get good position and go up and finish strong.”
