A Turning Point? Florida Outmuscles Georgia in Statement SEC Win
Florida (10-5, 1-1 SEC) welcomed former coach Mike White and No. 18 Georgia (13-2, 1-1 SEC) to Gainesville for its SEC home opener, looking to bounce back after a loss at Missouri – and did just that.
Thomas Haugh recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to lead the Gators to a 92-77 victory over Georgia, extending Florida’s home winning streak to 14 games. Alex Condon added 21 points, while Boogie Fland contributed eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Florida entered the game with added motivation after falling out of the AP Top 25 this week following its loss to Missouri. Georgia, meanwhile, came in with its highest ranking since 2003.
The Gators took control in the second half and held the nation’s top-scoring offense to their season-low point total, giving Florida its 13th win in 14 meetings with the Bulldogs.
“I felt like this was the first game where we played a really good team this year where we have a little bit of advantage going up against them,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “I know we have a really good team, and we just couldn’t find a way to get one of those games done.”
Marcus Millender led Georgia with 18 points. Bulldogs leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson finished with two points in 19 minutes after scoring 31 points in Georgia’s 104-100 overtime win against Auburn.
Despite students still being on winter break, the student section at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center was packed.
The matchup was a physical battle from the opening tip.
Georgia implemented a full court press four-minutes into the game and stuck with it for much of the first half.
Haugh provided an early spark for the Gators and, with six minutes remaining in the first half, he led the team in points, rebounds and assists.
A turning point came early when 6-foot-11 center Somto Cyril was ejected for throwing a forearm into the neck of Reuben Chinyelu in a heat-of-the-moment play. Cyril was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected from the game. He entered the contest averaging 10 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks for the Bulldogs.
“That was a big part of the game,” Condon said. “Once he got ejected, we just outrebounded them.”
Over the remainder of the first half, Haugh, Condon, Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten combined to shoot 70% from the field and grabbed 14 rebounds.
Florida struggled early to contain the quickness of Millender and Jordan Ross, who both shot 100% from the field in the first half. Most of their baskets came on drives, where the Gators had difficulty staying in front.
Florida point guard Xaivian Lee was largely absent from the first half, as Urban Klavzar substituted for him on multiple occasions. Lee was on the court for 13 minutes and Klavzar for 12.
Over the last five games, Lee was shooting 42% from 3-point range and averaging 16.8 points per game. Against Georgia, he finished with six points, five assists and two turnovers.
The first half featured back-and-forth runs, with Florida taking a 41-40 lead into halftime.
Florida came out strong in the second half and the crowd helped fuel the Gators’ momentum, sparked by 20 dunks from the Gators compared to just two for Georgia.
Defensively, Florida made adjustments against Georgia’s quick offense, placing a greater emphasis on protecting the paint.
Florida held Georgia to 34% shooting from the field in the second half after the Bulldogs shot 49% in the first.
“To hold this team that’s been phenomenal from two-point range to 49% is fantastic and 21% from three,” Golden said.
Georgia mounted a late push to cut the deficit to nine, but Florida maintained control down the stretch to hand the Bulldogs their second loss of the season.
“First half we didn’t execute well, but in the second half we went out there and got these skills that we needed,” Haugh said. “We got those three stops in a row and did a great job finishing as a team.”
Coming off a national championship run, expectations have been high for Florida. Through the first part of the season, the Gators faced questions about their potential after dropping five games, three of which came against top-five opponents.
As a result, the win against Georgia carried added significance. Florida secured its first top-25 victory and first conference win of the season, doing so in convincing fashion.
“I told the bigs before the game that it was a similar game to Tennessee and a big momentum game for us,” Condon said. “I think everyone brought the juice from the start today. No one was feeling sorry for themselves, no one was being selfish — just playing together as a team.”
Last season, Florida responded to a February loss to Georgia with a 12-game winning streak that propelled the Gators to an SEC tournament championship and a national championship run. The impact of Tuesday’s win could be a similar turning point.
Rebounding was a major point of emphasis for Florida following its loss to Missouri, in which the Tigers matched the Gators on the boards, 37-37.
Florida responded by outrebounding Georgia 56-35. Much of that advantage came after the ejection of Bulldogs center Cyril. In the second half, Florida’s forwards dominated the paint, outscoring Georgia 58-38 while taking advantage of the absence of the 6-foot-11 center.
Georgia’s 21% shooting from 3-point range was largely a product of Florida’s perimeter defense. After halftime, the Gators played with noticeably greater defensive energy. Blue Cain went 3 of 9 shooting, while Wilkinson finished 1 of 9 from the field.
Much of that effort came from Isaiah Brown.
“His effort tonight was great and what we need in that role,” Golden said. “He played 13 minutes, and we were plus-11 in those minutes. He gave us a lift.”
Florida football legend Urban Meyer was in attendance and visited the locker room after the game to address the team.
“It was a really cool moment, especially for Tommy, who grew up a big Gator fan with Tim Tebow on his wall,” Golden said. “He really looks up to Urban Meyer.”
Florida remains at home and will host No. 21 Tennessee on Saturday at noon.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
