Florida Cruises to Victory Over Loyola Maryland in Season Opener, 93-73

Riley Kugel's 23 points kickstarted Florida's season-opening win over Loyola Maryland, 93-73.

GAINESVILLE -- The Florida Gators (1-0) started fast in their season-opening contest with the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (0-1) on Monday night and never looked back.

Star sophomore guard Riley Kugel maintained his end-of-freshman-season form to post 23 points on 15 shots, four assists and six steals to spearhead Florida's strong offensive attack in which four players scored in double-digits to post a 93-73 win.

The Gators jumped out to a 19-2 lead in the first 6:29 by consistently turning defense into offense. Several Florida players earned their first buckets of the 2023-24 season in the early going, and that trend continued as all ten players who saw the floor scored on the day.

Graduate transfer forward Tyrese Samuel spearheaded the Gators' scoring and rebounding efforts, leading the unit into the locker room break in both categories with 11 and six, respectively. He finished with 15 points and was tied with Walter Clayton Jr. for the team lead in rebounds with eight.

Clayton also accounted for five assists.

Despite a lull to end the first half, allowing the Greyhounds to pull within 12, in part thanks to a triple from David Brown III at the buzzer, the Gators regained their footing to begin the second period.

Florida opened the floodgates behind its starters in the frontcourt, Micah Handlogten — 16 points and six rebounds — and Samuel, and star sophomore guard, Kugel.

The trio accounted for 20 straight points for the Gators in the first 10 minutes of the second half, displaying an impressive capability to score transition and knock down shots from beyond the arc. True freshman forward Alex Condon complemented the attack with 13 points of his own in his collegiate debut.

Florida extended the lead to as much as 26 in the second half as a result.

Loyola Maryland's D'Angelo Stines and Golden Dike supported the Greyhounds' attack as the Patriot League representative attempted to mount a comeback against the Gators. Florida's improved talent and depth proved too prominent to overcome, though.

UF finished the night shooting 58% from the floor and 38% from beyond the arc while accounting for 22 fast break points in a vastly improved offensive showing compared to a season ago. The Gators' efficiency in those areas culminated in the 20-point victory in game one.

Florida will return to action on Friday when it takes on Virginia in the Hall of Fame Series matchup in Charlotte, N.C., at 7 p.m. ET.

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