Gators Dominate Wake Forest, Avenging Last Year's Loss

The Florida Gators overcame a sloppy performance on offense to get a payback win against Wake Forest in the EPSN Events Invitational

The Gators avenge last year's loss to Wake Forest despite a lack luster offensive day / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla., – The No. 18 Florida Gators men’s basketball team avenges last year’s loss to Wake Forest, winning 75-58 on Thursday in the semifinals of the ESPN Events Invitational. For those who remember, the Gators lost this matchup 82-71 a season ago.  

It was a rough day offensively, but the Gators got the job done in this one thanks to their leader Walter Clayton Jr. He finished with 21 points, three assists and three steals and led the Gators with a plus-21 in 35 minutes of action. 

His backcourt duo Alijah Martin was also influential in this one, adding 16 points, two assists and two steals. 

This win moves the Gators to 7-0 on the season, which is the first time they’ve done this since the 2012-13 season. It is also only the sixth time this feat has been achieved in program history. 

Offensive Woes Highlight Ugly First Half

Offensively, it was a rough first half from both sides. Some of that could’ve been dealt to this physicality allowed by the refs on both ends, but still not a pretty half for viewers in the arena or at home watching on their television. 

For the Gators, they struggled mightily in the first five minutes of the half. They were down 10-6 early in the half and were shooting just 2-for-8 overall and 1-for-4 from three. They could not just get anything to fall. 

On the flip side, Wake Forest started this game 6-for-11 and got some tough looks to fall on offense. 

Unfortunately for the Gators, their rough patch on offense continued through the 12-minute mark of this contest. In these first eight minutes of the half, they were just 3-for-14 from the field and only knocked down one of their seven three-point attempts. 

Luckily for head coach Todd Golden and his guys, the offense started to come alive, or at least more than had been previously. 

With Wake Forest leading 20-16 and around nine and a half minutes left in the first, senior Will Richard helped supercharge a run to get the Gators back in this one. The offense went on a 12-2 run with Richard pouring in eight during this period and gave the Gators a one-point lead. 

From here, it was again highlighted by physical defenses from both teams. Neither could really pull away. However, the Gators found just enough room to squeeze through to give them the advantage heading into the half. From the 1:38 mark to the final whistle of the half, they went on a 6-2 run. This run put them in front 32-28 over Wake Forest heading into halftime. 

The Gators shot just 35.5 percent in this first half and were also three-for-11 from downtown. Additionally, they didn’t shoot the best from the free-throw line, making only seven of their 11 attempts. 

This isn’t the first time the Gators struggled offensively in the first 20 minutes of a game, but at the same time, this can’t continue to happen, especially not when they take on North Carolina. 

Gators Lean on Early Momentum to Cross the Finish Line

Something was obviously said in the locker room by Golden because the offense started hot coming out of halftime. 

It started with Clayton Jr. hitting back-to-back threes to help extend the Gators lead to 10 over Wake Forest. Then, after an easy Condon putback layup, Martin capped off a 10-0 run with a vicious fast break slam that forced their opponents to call a timeout. 

ALIJAH. MARTIN. SLAM.#GoGators | 📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/df9VJAk5zB

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 28, 2024

Wake Forest did manage to cut back into this Florida lead though. Through some good defense and tough shot-making, the Gators' lead was slowly cut to six points with around 10 minutes left in the second half. 

However, it wouldn’t be too long before the momentum swung back in the favor of the Gators. In a quick two-minute span, the Gators went on a 7-0 run that put them up 57-44 over their opponents. 

But the pendulum of momentum would, once again, swing slightly back towards Wake Forest. After the Gators took this 13-point lead, the Demon Deacons went on a 6-0 run fueled by bad offense from those in the orange and blue. 

The good thing for Golden is that his guys didn’t let this rattle them. Instead, they settled down and got their lead back into double digits as they led 64-53 with 3:04 left in the game. 

Then, with two minutes and some change, the Wake Forest head coach got ejected after being assessed two technicals for arguing with the officials, which gifted the Gators four free throws. Clayton Jr. would convert on all four attempts. These four free throws would basically be the dagger for Wake Forest as the Gators walked away with a 75-58 win.  

It wasn’t the prettiest of games by any means for the Gators. They shot 23-for-58 (39.7%) from the field overall and eight-for-27 (29.6%) from 3. They were somewhat good from the charity stripe though, making 21 of their 27 free throws in this one. 

But it doesn’t matter how you get it done, just that you get it done. 

What’s Next 

The Gators will take on Wichita State in the ESPN Events Invitational finals tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. This matchup will be televised on ESPN.