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Florida basketball: Gators shoot their way to a big road win

By Will Thomas

Jan 21, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Florida Gators guard Will Richard (5) shoots during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Florida Gators guard Will Richard (5) shoots during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Florida basketball went on the road last night in need of a big win to regain momentum. And thanks to a hot start and their best 3-point shooting night in a while, they got it done.

The win moves the Gators to 11-8 overall and a 4-3 record in the SEC. Going out to Starkville and winning this game was huge for the Gators, as now they get some energy back and go home to play a bad South Carolina team.

The biggest story of this one is that the Gators shot 10-24 from long range, a 41.7% clip. While this isn’t elite by any means, it’s a lot better than what the Gators have been doing in the past.

Will Richard led the charge, going 4-5 from deep, and Riley Kugel and Kowacie Reeves each had two threes of their own.

Castleton leads all scorers with 13 points to go along with his four rebounds, two assists, and a block. Will Richard had 12, Reeves had nine, and Kugel had eight.

Jason Jitoboh had some added responsibility tonight after Alex Fudge’s night was cut short. He played 13 minutes and got four points paired with three rebounds.

We saw a bit of regression from Myreon Jones last night. He ended with just two points but did have five assists and four rebounds.

I think we’re also seeing Kowacie Reeves turn into a Scottie Lewis type of player. He’s a freakish athlete with great length and sky-high potential, but he’s been struggling to score the ball as of late.

One of the biggest turning points of the game was a timeout from Todd Golden, that in all honesty maybe shouldn’t have been given.

With 43 seconds left and the Gators up by two, Florida was inbounding the ball from the opposite side of the court and was unaware of where the shot clock was. With only one second before a ten-second violation would’ve been called, Kyle Lofton threw the ball upcourt, past every Gator in front of him.

At the same time, Golden called a timeout, and the Gators avoided the turnover. With the ball flying through the air, and no UF player in possession, a timeout generally wouldn’t have been given. But the whistle was blown, and the Gators held on.

Now, all eyes are on the South Carolina Gamecocks who are coming to town Wednesday night.

Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail.

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