GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Junior forward Alex Condon delivered a standout performance with 25 points and 10 rebounds, recording the 10th double-double of his career and powering the third-ranked Florida Gators to a commanding 104-64 victory over North Florida on Thursday night at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
The matchup served as the 2025-26 home opener for the defending NCAA champions and began with the unveiling of the national championship banner from the O'Dome rafters, drawing loud cheers from the packed crowd.
Condon shot eight of 12 from the field, converted nine of 10 free throws, and added four assists along with three blocks. The 6-foot-11 Australian scored 17 points in the opening half as the Gators built a 52-28 lead at the break. From there, it turned into a stat-filled evening for Florida (and not for the Ospreys, who managed just two assists and committed 16 turnovers), with every UF player seeing action—including 7-foot-9 walk-on redshirt freshman center Olivier Rioux, who made his collegiate debut.
Backup center Micah Handlogten came off the bench to post 17 points and 13 rebounds, marking his second consecutive double-double. Junior guard/forward Thomas Haugh, fresh off a career-high 27 points in UF’s season-opening loss to No. 13 Arizona in Las Vegas, contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Starting guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee chipped in 10 points apiece.
Though the Gators started slowly and struggled from beyond the arc, they didn’t need perimeter shooting against the undersized Ospreys of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Florida dominated the paint with a 36-4 scoring edge in the first half and controlled the boards 33-13, building a decisive advantage.
By the second half, the Gators’ lead ballooned to as many as 43 points.
UF junior wing Thomas Haugh
Turning Point
UNF led 10-9 when Condon grabbed an offensive rebound and stuck it back, was fouled and hit the free throw to start a 31-5 run at the 15:09 mark. Thirteen consecutive points initiated the spree and included consecutive slams by Fland (off a steal and run-out), Condon (on a stick-back) and Handlogten on a feed from Fland. When the run was done, the Gators led 40-15 with five minutes to go in the period, with the last bucket a steal and run-out 180-degree dunk by sophomore reserve Isaiah Brown.
Staggering Statistic
The Gators are 13 of 59 in two games from the 3-point line. That's 22%. It didn't matter against the Ospreys, but did in the 93-87 loss Monday against Arizona. Bears watching.
Up Next
Florida (1-1) will be off Friday, then get back to work in preparation for Tuesday's home date against rival Florida State (1-0), under first-year coach and former walk-on FSU player Luke Loucks. The Seminoles opened the Loucks era Tuesday with a 108-76 defeat of Alcorn State and play at home again Friday against against Alabama State. The Gators have won four straight in the series.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu.
Find his story archives here.
