Gators Late Offensive Slump Results in 82-71 Loss to Demon Deacons

Gators offense sputters late on the road against Wake Forest to suffer their third defeat of the 2023-24 campaign.

A vintage scoring performance by Florida star Riley Kugel wasn't enough for the Gators to pull off a victory on Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C., against a game Wake Forest Demon Deacons squad, falling 82-71. 

Wake Forest's 16-5 run over the final four minutes proved detrimental to Florida's chances in its lone true road game of its out-of-conference slate. As a result, head coach Todd Golden's team falls to 4-3 on the season, while Steve Forbes' squad moves to 4-3.

A back-and-forth first half ended with Florida separating itself by two possessions behind an individual surge from Kugel. Leading Florida with 12 points in the first 20-minute period, Kugel found his groove from all three levels of the court.

He connected from downtown, in the mid-range and at the bucket, showcasing the impressive scoring fortitude that made him an acclaimed player in college basketball heading into the 2023-24 campaign.

His late-half outburst was highlighted by an athletic, rim-rocking slam in transition over Wake Forest forward Andrew Carr with 2:45 remaining.

Riley. Kugel.#GoGators | 💻 https://t.co/Wj4XylwZnl pic.twitter.com/xeLBE0H8Dq

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 30, 2023

The dunk jolted the Gators' offense to life, allowing the unit to take a four-point lead into the break thanks to an ensuing stepback three and two made free throws by Kugel.

Florida returned from the half with an evident desire to run the offense through the guard. The formula worked momentarily as UF opened a game-high nine-point lead over the Demon Deacons in the first five minutes of the second half.

However, as the Gators threatened to pull away, Wake Forest began to find its footing on both ends of the floor. Second-chance buckets, three-point makes and a near-four-minute field goal drought by Florida aided the Demon Deacons to crawl back within a possession less than four minutes later.

They proceeded to force a tie at 52 before flipping the one-time nine-point deficit into a six-point advantage.

Amid the Gators' skid, Golden and Co. once again looked to Kugel for the answer. He delivered with his third make from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to five. A bucket by Tyrese Samuel after a foul call on Wake on the same possession as Kugel's triple aided to pull Florida within three. 

Kugel connected on another three several possessions later to tie the contest at 64 with just under five minutes remaining.

The two teams entered the final media timeout of the contest tied at 66 soon thereafter.

When they returned, Wake Forest maintained its impressive form to reel off the aforementioned 16-5 run over the final four minutes to cap off an 11-point win over the Gators at home. Florida, shooting 40% from the floor and 33% from three on the night, failed to connect on a field goal during that span, failing to mount any offensive production in the crucial stages of the contest.

Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons were led by Carr, Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth — accounting for 22, 24 and 18, respectively. The team as a whole found the bottom of the net on nearly 50% of their shot attempts and 37.5% of their tries from beyond the arc en route to the statement win at home.

Florida will return home for the first time since its dominant win over Florida State on Nov. 17 to take on Merrimack Tuesday.

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