While Florida’s frontcourt has been the motor for the Gators’ success this season, the backcourt proved itself against Georgia, including Xaivian Lee.
UF entered Wednesday’s game shooting an SEC-worst 29% form beyond the arc, but at halftime, they were outshooting the No. 2 offense in the nation 43% to 25% from deep.
When Georgia cut Florida’s lead to 10 with under four minutes to go, reviving the Stegeman Coliseum that was roaring with noise, Lee stepped up and hit a 3-pointer to preserve UF’s double-digit advantage.
From that point on, the Bulldogs were unable to come back, leading No. 14 Florida (18-6, 9-2 SEC) to an 86-66 win over Georgia (17-7, 5-6 SEC) in Athens. The Gators grabbed their fifth-straight SEC road win of the campaign fueled by their second-best 3-point shooting performance of the season (38%).
“We collectively, as a staff and as a program, think of our three-point shooting as a cherry on top,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “We don't want that to be what makes us good or what we rely upon to be a good team. We want it to be a thing where if we are shooting the ball well, that we're just really, really hard to beat.”
At the forefront of Florida’s success was Lee. The Princeton transfer finished the game with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, marking just his second double-digit scoring effort in the last six games.
At the break, he logged a team-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. His second 3-pointer before the half put the Gators up 14 points with 9:19 to go. Moreover, one of his two steals in the first half led to a Boogie Fland dunk that gave Florida a 10-point lead, forcing the Bulldogs into a timeout just over four minutes into the contest.
Lee was kept quiet in the second half, with five points on 2-of-6 shooting, but came through with a clutch 3-pointer to put the contest out of reach.
“He was one of the best players on the floor, clearly, tonight,” Golden said. “He did a great job just playing with poise, especially when Georgia tried to speed us up, taking care of the basketball, hit some really big threes – one early, two late – that kind of stymied a couple of their runs.”
Alongside Lee was Fland, who finished the game with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He also had a team-high seven assists.
At the half, he scored six points on 3-of-7 shooting. He opened the scoring for the Gators with back-to-back field goals. In the second half, the sophomore guard hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, giving the Gators their largest lead at 60-38 with 11:32 to go. The shot marked his first 3-pointer in the last seven games.
In the second half, the Arkansas transfer had a team-high 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting. His jumper with 3:15 to go put Florida up 15, later fueling a 9-0 run.
Off the bench, Isaiah Brown picked up his third double-digit scoring effort of the season, and second in a row, with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. At the half, he logged nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. His third 3-pointer gave UF a 36-19 lead with 3:41 before the break. His and-one with 4:53 left in the game put the Gators up 14 points.
“Our bench was fantastic again tonight,” Golden said. “It speaks to our bench and our depth on our team.”
Unlike the backcourt, Florida’s frontcourt was not as successful offensively.
While Thomas Haugh did finish with 11 points, he shot 2 for 8 from the field and was shooting 0 for 5 at the half. His sole 3-pointer came in the second half to put Florida up 46-34.
Alex Condon finished the game with 12 points and five rebounds, but he also had a team-high of seven turnovers.
Finally, Rueben Chinyelu did bag a team-high 20 rebounds, but was unable to record his 15th double-double of the season, logging just 7 points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Georgia’s offensive effort was led by Blue Cain. He finished with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double after putting up 8 points when the teams first met in Gainesville earlier this year on Jan. 6.
However, Florida was able to continue its dominance from its three previous contests, despite Cain's efforts.
To open the contest, the Bulldogs were scoreless until Kanon Catchings hit a 3-pointer with 14:17 left in the first half. The Gators held the Bulldogs to 27 points on 33% shooting from the field at the half.
At the final buzzer, UGA shot 35% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc. Moreover, starters Dylan James and Jordan Ross were held scoreless, with each going 0 for 4 from the field.
Florida’s backcourt and Lee will look to build on this performance when the Gators host No. 25 Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC) Saturday at 3 p.m.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the spring 2026 men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
