Florida Guard Denzel Aberdeen slashes past his defender on the way to the basket on Friday, Dec. 22 against Grambling State at the Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida. Photo courtesy of Gabriella Whisler (UAA).

Gators Men’s Hoops Shut Down Grambling State

Miguel Molina December 23, 2023 Basketball, College Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball, NCAA, University of Florida 227 Views

In the words of Gators coach Todd Golden, the basketball game Friday in the O’Connell Center against Grambling State was a “Clean Win.”

Florida beat the Tigers 96-57. The Gators are now 9-3 after their fifth consecutive win.

Lights-Out Gators

You know it is a good day when your non-primary 3-point shooters can’t miss.

The Gators appeared to have the ocean as their basket because they shot 62.3% (38-61) from the field and 52.4% (11-21) from 3. Florida had great success at the line by shooting 9-10.

The main contributor was guard Will Richard, who led the team with 17 points and also tied his career-high of 3-pointers in a game with five. Three of his makes from beyond the arc came in quick succession at the beginning of the second half. Those triples would allow Florida to run away with the game behind a 59-36 lead.

 

In the scoring effort, Tyrese Samuel had 15, Zyon Pullin put up 14 and Thomas Haugh got inside for 13. On the other hand, Grambling State really struggled in shooting the ball. The Tigers went 24-66 from the field and 3-13 from downtown.

Denzel Steps Up

With Riley Kugel ruled out with a bruised foot, someone had to step up. That someone was Denzel Aberdeen.

In just over 24 minutes, the former Dr. Phillips High School guard scored 11 points. But not only was he efficient in scoring the rock, he was dishing things out to his teammates on a silver platter. In the Gators season-high 27 assists on the night, the sophomore had five of them, most of which will probably be included in the post-game highlight reel.

With only averaging 10.3 minutes per game before the win against Grambling State, Aberdeen knew he had to make the most of this opportunity.

“My teammates and coach always say be ready for when your name is called,” Aberdeen said. “No matter how many minutes you get, no matter what your position is.”

Team Manager To Game Changer

Despite Kugel and Aleks Szymczyk, everyone on the bench got a chance to play. For a former team manager, he was given a golden opportunity.

Walk-On Bennett Andersen scored the final points for Florida with his first career bucket. When asked what it was like to put up his first college points, the Tampa native simply said…

“It was cool.”

Up Next

Florida will take on Quinnipiac on Dec. 30 with tip set for 1 p.m.

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