Clayton Jr., Richard Spark Gators' Offense in 84-60 win Over FAMU

The duo combined for 37 points as Florida moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2021.

Nov 19, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) dunks a ball over Florida A&M Rattlers forward Jamine Charles (20) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The No. 21 Florida Gators men's basketball team on Tuesday moved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2021-2022 campaign and the first time under head coach Todd Golden with a 84-60 win over Florida A&M.

It wasn't pretty, though.

Florida earned the benefit of a 46-22 lead heading into halftime as FAMU struggled to consistently hit shots, but the Gators failed to find consistency in the second half with a 34.3 percent mark from the field in that time.

Florida also shot 16.7 percent from deep in the second half after a 43.8 percent mark in the first half.

Senior guard Will Richard sparked a sluggish Florida offense with a team-high 20 points while shooting 50 percent from the field. Walter Clayton Jr. added 17 points of his own with 14 points coming in the first half.

Early 3-point Woes For Both Teams, Clayton Jr. and Richard Spark Run

Despite consistent makes from the inside the arc to begin the game, 3-point shooting nearly cost Florida early as the Gators missed its first five attempts from deep.

It wasn't until Clayton Jr. and Richard combined for four-straight 3-pointers that the drought ended, and the Gators extended a close lead to 13 points with under 11 minutes left in the first half.

Clayton Jr. hit his first with 11:53 left in the half, and Richard added his first with off a fast-break shortly after, giving Florida a 16-7 lead. After a FAMU timeout, the duo traded two more 3-pointers to give the Gators a 22-9 lead at the 10-minute mark, its largest of the game to that point.

The Rattlers had similar early struggles from deep but didn't find the answers the Gators did. FAMU started Tuesday's matchup going 1-for-10 from deep in the first half and were unable to keep up with Florida as a result.

Florida finished the first half shooting 7-for-16 from deep on its way to a 46-22 at lead at the break.

Ugly Second Half for Gators

Late momentum from the first half did not carry over for Florida in the second half, with the Rattlers tying the Gators 38-38 in that time.

Florida shot 12-for-35 from the field in over the second half and only hit 16.7 percent of its 3-point tries. Meanwhile, FAMU saw its overall shooting worsen in the second half with a 33.3 percent mark, but a 4-for-11 finish from deep in that frame elevated its numbers.

Richard, meanwhile, continued to be the spark despite the team's struggles with 10 points in the second half, and Alijah Martin added nine points of his own over that time after individual shooting struggles in the first half.

Haugh Shines Off Bench, Brown Scores First Points

Heading into Tuesday's game, it was revealed that rotational pieces Sam Alexis and Denzel Aberdeen would both miss the game due to illness.

In their place Thomas Haugh saw an uptick in minutes and provided a spark off the bench, while freshman Isaiah Brown scored the first points of his collegiate career in the first half.

Through the team's four three games, Haugh averaged 22.5 minutes per game but clocked 29 minutes of time on the court, finishing with a season-high nine points on 4-for-8 shooting off the bench. He added seven rebounds, one blocks and three steals.

Meanwhile, Brown hit two 3-point shots near the end of the first half for his first two collegiate buckets, which extended Florida's lead to 24. The freshman guard finished with nine points after hitting three free-throws in the second half.

Next Up

The Gators host Southern Illinois on Friday with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Television coverage can be found on SEC Network.