GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators were looking to rebound after a double-digit loss on the road last Saturday in Knoxville. They found out just a couple of hours before the game that they would have to do it without their starting point guard, Walter Clayton. It wouldn’t matter Tuesday night in the O’Dome, The No.6 Gators used a 51-point second-half surge to beat Vanderbilt 86-75, improving to 19-3 (6-3 SEC).
Playing without, arguably, their best player, Florida needed somebody else to step up. Will Richard answered the bell and then insisted on not taking a seat over the final 20 minutes of play.
“He wouldn’t let me take him out in the second half. I tried a couple of times, and he wasn’t having it,” head coach Todd Golden said of Richard. And he’s earned it. It’s one of the advantages of playing for a guy like me. Guys like him, Walt, Mart, when they got it going and I go to maybe get them a rest, if they feel like they can stay out there and keep playing at a high level, I’m gonna let them do it. And I’m gonna ride with those guys. And Will didn’t have his best game on Saturday and we could have done a better job as a staff of trying to manufacture some looks for him. But again, talking about the growth, for him to come back and have a game like this on a night where we needed him the most was absolutely huge for us. And obviously Walt gets a lot of credit, he deserves it. A-Mart gets a lot of credit, he deserves it. Will is just, he’s part of that group for me. He’s in that trio and he deserves as much love and respect as those other guys for what we’ve been able to do this year.”
Richard finished the game with 21 points on an ultra-efficient 8-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds and didn’t register a turnover.
It was also a solid night from the bench mob. The Gators got back-to-back threes from Urban Klavzar, which extended their second half lead to nine points at the time. It was the spark Florida needed down the stretch.
“I thought that little run in the second half where he hit those two threes back-to-back to extend the lead from three to nine was just huge for us, a big lift in a time we needed it the most,” Golden said of Klavzar. “I’m happy for him as he has exhibited great patience and has been a great teammate all year.”
Florida will hit the road this weekend for a matchup against the No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers (20-1/8-0 SEC) slated for a 4:00 p.m. tip on ESPN.
Alijah Martin Named to Jerry West Midseason Watch List
Alijah Martin was selected for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year’s 10-player midseason watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday.
Martin, a grad transfer from Florida Atlantic, averages 15.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, in addition to 50 3-point field goals. Martin has 17 double-figure scoring performances, including three 20-point outings and a 32-point showing against Southern Illinois. Martin tied UF’s O’Connell Center record with eight made 3-pointers in the outburst vs. SIU, as Martin’s 32 points also matched his career high.
The Summit, Miss., native earned a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in a neutral-site win vs. Arizona State, and his 18 points at home vs. Tennessee helped lead the Gators to the first regular season win vs. a No. 1 team in program history. He has led Florida in scoring six times, in rebounds four times and in assists four times this season. Martin and the Gators have squared off against and defeated four of the nine other watch list members.
