Florida men’s basketball is no stranger to desperately hanging on to second half leads. It’s been a common issue throughout SEC play, and the Gators’ matchup against Alabama was no different.
However, when junior guard Will Richard splashed home a 3-pointer with a defender in his face to extend his team’s lead to 18 in the game’s final minutes, it ensured this narrative would not hold true in the team’s final home game of the season.
The Gators (21-9, 11-6 SEC) protected their home court on senior night with a 105-87 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide (20-10, 12-5 SEC) Tuesday.
“You could feel it right before tip,” head coach Todd Golden said. “The building had great energy for a Tuesday night tip, and I’m just really proud of our team and really grateful for my staff and the way we executed tonight.”
Bama has won more games in SEC play than any other team in the league since head coach Nate Oats took over to lead the program in 2019. A victory over the Gators would inch Alabama closer to its third SEC regular season and tournament championship in the last four years.
It took more than 40 minutes and 90-plus points for Bama to defeat Florida in their matchup on Feb. 21. Though, Tuesday did not have the same high-flying offensive affair feel to it for the Tide.
The No. 1 SEC-ranked Crimson Tide offense was all out of whack throughout the first half. The Gators defense locked down to begin the game, forcing four turnovers in the first 3:34.
“A lot of people did their job on defense tonight, junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. said. “And that’s a great offensive team so I feel like we did a great job on that end of the floor.”
Florida did an excellent job defending Alabama's perimeter shooters. The Tide came into the matchup with over 300 3-point attempts made on the season but were held to just 1-for-10 from deep in the first 20 minutes.
“Last time we played them we were up and they hit some key 3’s,” graduate student Tyrese Samuel said. “So we knew to limit their 3’s would benefit us down the road.”
Florida couldn’t find much of a rhythm on the offensive end either early on. UF missed their first six shot attempts but Clayton Jr. was effective at getting to the free-throw line, knocking down his first four attempts.
As both teams had a difficult time finding the bottom of the net, neither could separate themselves by more than three points on the scoreboard over the first 10 minutes of the game.
However, when Richard sank the game’s first 3-pointer from the right wing, it gave the Gators an 18-12 with just over nine minutes left in the first half.
Alabama seemed to be containing the Gators on the boards early, out-rebounding UF 13-7 before Florida upped its intensity on the glass en route to knotting the rebounding battle at 20 apiece heading into the break.
“It [rebounding] was one of our biggest keys we talked about going into this game,” Golden said. “That was something that really fury us at their place and probably kept us from winning the game.”
Clayton Jr. led the Gators with a first-half high 13 points. Two of those points came from an emphatic dunk to give his squad its largest lead of the first half at 35-26 at the 3:07 mark.
UF took their nine-point lead into halftime. When they returned for the second half, a pivotal opportunity and familiar test awaited in the second half: holding on to a lead late in the game.
Florida fans have seen double-digit leads slip away in second halves time and time again. But the final 20 minutes of play at the O’Dome this season presented the chance for Florida to leave a different taste in the home crowds’ mouths.
The Gators kept their foot on the gas as the second half opened. A 7-3 run led by graduate student capped off with a pair of free throws drained by Samuel extended the UF’s lead to 14.
“I thought Tyrese was a monster,” Golden said. “Some big, big, big free throws to keep that lead where it needed to be.”
But Florida used a balanced offensive attack and continued to apply pressure defensively to extend its lead. A total of five Gators recorded points in under three minutes as a collective team effort gave UF its largest advantage of the game at 74-53 with under 10 minutes left to play.
The Crimson Tide’s shooting struggles from deep continued late into the game. The Gators’ pesky perimeter defense held Alabama to just 5-for-23 from 3 for the game after averaging an SEC-best 11.5 3-pointers per game on the season.
Alabama senior starting forward Grant Nelson got into foul trouble in the second half. His fifth foul came with six minutes left in the game and the Tide desperately needed to generate a spark to keep its hopes of winning alive.
Senior guard and the SEC’s leading scorer Marcus Sears was up for the challenge. He scored 10 points in less than two minutes and shrunk the Florida lead to 87-72 with under five minutes left to make a miraculous comeback.
Florida has had several chances this season to put teams away in the game’s winding minutes and Tuesday was no different. But instead of letting Alabama back into the game, the Gators put the Crimson Tide away with efficient free throw shooting down the stretch.
“It’s really enjoyable on a night like tonight where it never gets under 15 in the second half,” Golden said.
Four players made back-to-back shots at the charity stripe in the matchups’ final minutes. UF made its last 10 free throw attempts to extend their lead to 20 and allowed the walk-ons to enter the game.
The Gators received strong contributions from a duo of freshman forwards that came off the bench. Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh combined for 12 points and 14 huge rebounds to give the Florida backcourt a lift.
“Those guys come in the game and we don’t drop off,” Golden said. “ I thought they played with great energy and enthusiasm all night.
Five players finished with double-digit scoring marks for the Gators. Florida’s starting backcourt of Clayton Jr., Richard and Pullin was sensational, combining for 64 points. Samuel rounded out the offensive attack for UF with 19 points and four rebounds in his final game in the O’Dome.
“I feel like that’s one of the main points of our team that we can’t finish out games,” Samuel said. “But today showed that we are able to and we just have to continue with that trend.”
Florida will hit the road to take on Vanderbilt on Saturday for its final game of the regular season. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Nashville.
Contact Max @mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @MaxTuckerUF25.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time. Max will be covering the Gators Golf teams this Fall for The Alligator.
