Gators Men’s Basketball Holds Off Mississippi State

Free throws. That is how the Gators muzzled the Bulldogs.

The Florida men’s basketball team beat Mississippi State, 79-70, Wednesday at the O’Connell Center to get to .500 in the SEC (3-3) and 13-6 on the season.

Will Richard led the Gators with a team-high 23 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. each had 15 points, while also combining for five assists. Tyrese Samuel had a productive night with 12 points and eight boards.

Guard Josh Hubbard had 26 points for the Bulldogs (13-6, 2-4). Tolu Smith III had 10 points and 10 boards before fouling out at the end of the game.

 Gators Cashing In From The Charity

With the lead at 17 points with seven minutes to go, you would think the Gators would not have any problems … right? Well. After the game, Samuel summarized his team’s effort to just one word.

“I think we were just to laxed,” Samuel said. “I think if we stayed aggressive, it would have been a different outcome.”

What the starting power forward is referring to is how the Gators blew their large lead to down to only two buckets with less than three minutes remaining.

Despite their “laxed” effort defensively, Florida put it together when it mattered most from the free-throw line. In the last 94 seconds of the game, the Gators went 10 of 11 from the line. The clutch knockdowns would end up being enough to hold off Mississippi State.

Although Florida shot 85 percent (17 of 20) from the free-throw line Wednesday, foul shots have been a problem for the team all season long. The Gators are 67.8% shooting team from the line, a percentage that puts them dead last in the SEC. However, they have shot better in that area recently, having two 80% or higher games in their last three games.

When asked about what their FT performance Wednesday showed, Samuel made it clear the work at the line is being put in.

“It shows that we have been working on it,” Samuel said. “Really hard.”

Richard’s Run

Apart from late high efficiency from the line, a big contributor to the Gator’s success was a guard from Fairburn, Georgia.

https://twitter.com/GatorsMBK/status/1750343193814847510

In the first half, Richard scored 18 of his 23 points. His scoring during this stretch would help his team take control of the floor and get back faster on the defensive end with his 3-point makes.

His point total on the night beats his previous season high of 22, which he had when he faced Quinnipiac.

When asked how tough the Gators are to beat when Richard is scoring in a variety of ways, Pullin made it plain and simple.

“I think we are super tough,” Pullin said.

Up Next

The Gators will host the Georgia Bulldogs (14-5, 4-2) at noon Saturday (ESPN2, ESPN 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF). Former UF coach Mike White makes his second return to the O-Dome since taking over at UGA.