Will Richard's Big Day Leads Gators to Comfortable Win Over UNF

Will Richard managed to standout in an onslaught team effort over UNF

Will Richard had a career day in the Gators win over UNF / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla. – The No. 7 Florida Gators men’s basketball team dominated the North Florida Ospreys from start to finish on Saturday, winning 99-45. They are now 12-0 on the season. 

It was an all-around team performance in this one, led by senior Will Richard. Coming off a great game against North Carolina, the guard/wing was lights out in the first half. He scored 18 of his 26 points in the first 20 minutes and if not for foul trouble, he probably could have had more. However, he did set a new career high regardless. 

In addition to Richard’s outing, three other Gators were very productive in their minutes against North Florida on Saturday. Alex Condon (12 points, 10 rebounds), Thomas Haugh (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Sam Alexis (14 points, 12 rebounds) all put in strong shifts against the Ospreys that resulted in double-doubles for each of them by the end of regulation.

Richard Puts on a First Half Shooting Clinic

While some teams can come out lethargic after big wins, that’s not what Todd Golden’s Gators did on Saturday. 

The basketball on display was clean and free-flowing on offense and the defense on the other end was suffocating. 

The Gators opened this one on a 10-0 run thanks to great ball movement and dribble penetration from their guards. The Ospreys’ did hit two consecutive 3’s to bring it to a four-point game, but the Gators would go on another big spurt to open this game. 

Behind some more strong defensive efforts and multiple Gators helping out on offense, Florida rushed out to a 35-10 lead with around six minutes remaining in the half. During this 25-4 run, the biggest contributor on Golden’s team was Alijah Martin. He poured in eight points in this stretch. 

And by the final whistle in the first half, the Gators found themselves in front by a gigantic margin, leading 54-17 over their opponents. The ring leader for this first-half killing was Richard. He finished with 18 points (7-for-10 overall, 4-for-6 from 3). 

However, the most impressive detail from the first half is overall team performance. There were 10 guys who touched the court in Saturday’s first 20 minutes and nine of them saw a ball sink through the net. Additionally, they shot 48.8 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep and were a perfect seven-for-seven at line. 

A lot of the focus should be on their first half defense though. North Florida struggled to generate any good looks, resulting in them shooting five-for-26 overall and three-for-16 from behind the arc.

Richard Sets New Career High in the Second Half

The way Richard shot the entire first is the way he kicked off the second as well, knocking down his first two 3-point attempts and pushing the Gators' lead to 42 points. 

Eventually, he would set a new career high in the second half as well. After being fouled on an attempt down low, he was given two free throws that he would convert. These two points put him at 26 points early in the half and also put the Gators up 68-25 over the Ospreys with just under 14 minutes left in the game. 

And while Florida’s starters may have been given extended breaks in the second half thanks to the big lead the team built, The offensive onslaught continued, which led to an 83-35 advantage with nearly nine minutes left. 

The Gators kept pushing and edging closer to 100 points, but they fell short by one point. By the final whistle in this one, the Gators walked away with a 99-45 win over the Ospreys. 

One key detail from the game was that the Gators' offense amassed 20 assists from eight different players. This is the third time that the Gators have had 20 assists or more in a game this season. 

Next up for the Gators

Florida will head into the Christmas break undefeated and the next time the fans will be able to watch them will be on Dec. 29. They will take the court against Stetson at 1 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on that Sunday with the game set to be televised on SEC Network.