Gators Control Spiders En Route to 87-76 Orange Bowl Classic Victory

Florida posts its sixth win of the season with an 87-76 victory over Richmond in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.

The Florida Gators (6-3) controlled the Richmond Spiders (5-5) on Saturday en route to an 87-76 victory in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise, Fla.

The contest started slow relative to the expected offensively oriented matchup between two squads led by their scoring production thus far in the 2023-24 campaign.

They totaled just five points through the first three minutes, with Richmond holding a 3-2 advantage before both units gained their footing to mirror the expected product from a scoring output standpoint.

Guard Riley Kugel's aggressiveness and urgency — which head coach Todd Golden clamored for following the team's win over Merrimack on Tuesday — sparked the Gators to pull away later in the half. They took a strong command of the contest with just over four minutes remaining with a game-high 11-point lead thanks to five straight points from Kugel.

The remainder of the period became a push and pull, with Florida attempting to separate while Richmond proved pesky in cutting the deficit to avoid being blown out.

However, the Gators' defense then saw an uptick in production to end the half, holding the Spiders scoreless during the final 3:07 of the period to take a 10-point, 40-30 lead into the break.

Richmond returned from the locker room with fervor to again cut into the deficit. Isaiah Bigelow's triple from the right wing aided his unit to pull within four 1:30 into the second period.

But, as Florida did to end the first half, it answered with a small surge of its own. This time, it came on the back of wing Will Richard. 

He first attacked the paint off a baseline out of bounds, coming away with a bucket through contact to extend the lead back to seven. Two possessions later, Richard knocked down a midrange jumper. He penetrated the lane off the dribble before dishing it down to Samuel on the ensuing possession, aiding the Gators to move the margin back to nine.

The sequence was a microcosm of Richard's second-half outburst, giving him the confidence to reel off 19 of his 21 total points in the contest. Shooting 66.7% from the floor and 42.9% from three, the junior wing knocked down three straight triples — including an initial attempt in which he rose over the tightly contesting Richmond defender to find nylon.

Richard's 9-0 run opened the contest for the Gators, giving them their largest lead of the night to take a 16-point lead with 11:44 remaining at 62-46. 

Richmond reeled off a sustained comeback attempt starting at the eight-minute mark, but Florida maintained at least a seven-point advantage until the clock hit triple zeros.

The 87-76 win over Richmond was an all-around effort for UF.

The Gators finished the contest shooting 44.6% from the floor (31% from three) while averaging an efficient 1.208 points per possession.

Tyrese Samuel, Zyon Pullin and Kugel joined Richard in the double-digit-point category, accounting for 18, 12 and 11, respectively. 

Starting point guard Walter Clayton Jr. led the team's facilitation efforts with six of the team's 13 assists.

Samuel turned in his second double-double of the season by adding 14 rebounds, four coming on the offensive glass, while Micah Handlogten's boards (five offensive) in his return to the starting lineup after dealing with an ankle injury over the last four games complemented the forward's effort.

The Gators will look to extend their winning streak to three with action against East Carolina (6-3) in Lakeland, Fla., on Thursday. The Pirates are coming off a six-point loss to South Carolina at home on Saturday. 

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