Florida 79, Mississippi State 70
Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center | Gainesville, Fla.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/1/24/Gamebook.pdf> | Season Stats<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/11/17/2023-24_UFStats.pdf> | Media Resources<https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iv6cc1nl98a49pv/AAD_LkZm6hKvVz7FpyboOUR1a?dl=0>
Records: Florida 13-6, 3-3 SEC; Mississippi State 13-6, 2-4 SEC
Next up for Florida: Georgia, Saturday, Jan. 27, 12 p.m., ESPN2
Notable
* Florida committed a season-low seven turnovers, as Will Richard’s season-high 23 points paced the Gators and team-leading nine rebounds matched his most as a Gator.
* UF built a 17-point lead and staved off MSU’s rally, thanks in part to clutch free throw shooting. The Gators went 17-for-20 from the charity stripe in the game, including 13-for-14 in the second half.
* Walter Clayton and Zyon Pullin each chipped in 15 points, while Pullin committed zero turnovers in 35 minutes of action handling the ball.
* Tyrese Samuel added 12 points and eight boards to round out UF’s double-figure scorers.
Head Coach Todd Golden
On Alex Condon knocking down a 1-and-1 after MSU pulling within 6…
“The game flow was kind of going their way in that moment. Obviously, we played really, really well. A 17-point lead with about eight minutes to go. They’re a really good team. There’s going to be some runs. They hadn’t shot it well most of the night then they hit I think two or three threes on three or four possessions. We got caught in a little bit of an area where you want to break the press, you want to stay aggressive, but at the same time you’ve got a big lead you don’t want to be too aggressive and I thought, to their credit, they played with no fear of failure the final eight minutes of the game. We tightened up a little bit, on me. I need to make sure our guys understand I want them to continue to be aggressive and attack in those moments.”
On the win…
“This was a huge win for us and one that will travel for us. They’re a very physical, very good team. They’re very old. A lot of guys that have SEC experience, and we felt that the first four minutes of the game. We couldn’t grab a rebound. A little concerning but I thought after those first four from that 16-minute mark of the first half to that eight-minute mark of the second half, we played some really, really good basketball. Obviously, we want to strive to play 40, but that’s not always going to happen against good teams, but we’re really pleased with the win for sure”
On the free throw shooting…
“With [Alex Condon] making four. Micah [Handlogten] a little help from the board on the first one, then made the second one cleanly. Our guards, for most of the year, they’ve been pretty good from the line. They haven’t really been an issue for us. All part of becoming a complete team. I still think we have more in us from the perimeter. Went 8-for-25 tonight. I thought we got some good looks as the game was tightened up, we just didn’t knock down. Again, satisfied with the result.”
Grad G Zyon Pullin
On Will Richard playing well and how it affects the team…
“I think we’re super tough [to beat]. I think he did a great job being aggressive to start the game, and I think when he’s going, we’re just a better team.”
On stringing wins together …
“I think it’s big, just trying to go on a run and string some wins together. You all know it’s tough to win in the SEC, and we’ll take every win we can.”
On the team’s 3-point defense…
“It’s been a huge emphasis in practice, limiting threes, getting out on closeouts, and what we’re willing to live with. I think it’s something we keep getting better at, and I think it will be big down the stretch.”
Junior G Will Richard
On his approach during his big performance…
“[I was] just taking what the defense gave me. Not trying to force anything, I was just trying to find myself in the right spots. I know [Zyon Pullin] found me a lot of shots, I was just trying to get open and find shots to get in a rhythm.”
Grad F Tyrese Samuel
On closing the first half strong…
“I think it gives us a lot of confidence going into the second half. [Will Richard’s] dunk, that steal that he had, gave us an extra boost, and then we went into halftime knowing that we could come back the first four minutes and punch them.”
