Florida Men’s Basketball Takes Down FSU On Road

TALLAHASSEE — The No. 20 Florida men’s basketball team defeated rival Florida State 87-74 on Friday night.

Despite a late push from the Seminoles (3-1), the Gators (4-0) earned their fourth consecutive win against FSU. 

Raining 3s In Tallahassee

Both squads started the game with a lot of energy on defense. This aggressiveness led to missed field goals and turnovers. 

Shortly after, the shooting clinic began. 

UF’s Walter Clayton Jr. and FSU’s Bostyn Holt exchanged 3s early on, setting the tone for the shots to follow. Clayton’s bucket was his 100th made 3-pointer at Florida, becoming only the fourth transfer to reach this milestone.

Florida made six 3s in five minutes for a 37-19, its largest of the night. 

Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin combined for five of the six. Clayton entered halftime with 16 points on 4-of-7 FGs and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. 

Jamir Watkins,, the ACC Player of the Week, gave Florida State momentum toward the end of the half with aggressive takes to the rim. 

However, Watkins’ efforts were overshadowed by the Gators’ rebounding. Florida secured 22 boards in the first half, compared to Florida State’s 13. The extra effort on the glass helped the Gators keep a double-digit lead heading into the half, 44-31.

‘Noles Come Alive

Florida State began the second half with a newfound energy. Watkins picked up where he left off with early buckets. 

The Gators struggled to start shooting the ball, but made up for the misses on the offensive glass. 

With 16:09 remaining, Justin Thomas caught fire with three consecutive triples to spark the Seminoles. 

Florida relied on its paint production from Alex Condon and Sam Alexis. Condon and Alexis combined for 15 second-half points and kept a strong presence down low. 

Florida State wasn’t done fighting and roared back with a 6-0 run to make it 77-73 UF with 2:23 to go.

Gators Prevail

Thomas Haugh made two clutch free throws to extend Florida’s lead to six. 

Martin and Clayton iced the game with back-to-back daggers from deep. The duo finished with 25 and 17 points, respectively, and were the two leading scorers for the Gators. 

Todd Golden is now the first Florida coach since 1966 to win their first four matchups against Florida State. 

Up Next

The Gators are back in action Tuesday when they welcome Florida A&M. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (SEC Network+, ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).