GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The game plan could be summed up in one word: rebounding.
Florida’s coaches and players knew Saturday night’s matchup with Texas A&M would be a physical battle fit for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Aggies arrived with a reputation as one of the nation’s toughest defensive and most physical teams, loaded with strong rebounders.
By the final buzzer, the third-ranked Gators had edged No. 12 Texas A&M on the boards, with offensive rebounds and second-chance points nearly even. Scoring, however, was handled by senior guard Will Richard and his teammates, who powered Florida to an 89-70 win before a sold-out crowd at Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center.
Richard delivered 25 points, six three-pointers, and six rebounds in 31 minutes. Just days after posting a career-high 30 in the loss at Georgia, the 6-foot-4 senior shot 9-for-13 overall and 6-for-9 from deep, leading five Gators in double figures. Still, it was Florida’s collective rebounding effort — a 42-37 advantage overall and a near deadlock in offensive boards and second-chance scoring — that most impressed Coach Todd Golden, who called the performance a "great bounce-back" from the midweek setback in Athens.
"Just going toe to toe with those guys for 40 minutes and seeing how physical they are, how much talent they have, how competitive they are, I'm just incredibly proud of the way we played and our ability to kind of get away from them at the end," Golden said after Florida’s seventh win in eight games, which pulled the team even with Alabama for second place in the SEC standings. "But they made it really hard on us in the second half."
Florida’s depth proved decisive. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh scored 17, while fifth-year guard Allijah Martin added 14, including four threes before halftime. Sophomore forward Alex Condon, in his second game back from an ankle injury, contributed 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, nine rebounds, and a pair of highlight dunks late. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. chipped in 10 points and posted a game-best plus-20 rating. Junior center Micah Handlogten scored just two points but added eight rebounds (four offensive), two steals, two assists, and two blocks in 20 minutes off the bench.
Florida shot 47.8 percent overall (against an Aggies defense that had been holding opponents to 39.9 percent), dished out 21 assists, and knocked down 14 threes at 42.4 percent. The Gators also posted the second-highest scoring total against A&M this season, well above the Aggies’ average of 66.7 points allowed.
Sophomore forward Alex Condon (21) was 5-for-6 from the floor with a couple authoritative flushes like this one in the second half.
"[Florida is] as good as any team in the country," said Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams, whose team was ranked seventh just two weeks ago but has since dropped four straight in the demanding SEC. Still, the Aggies remain in strong position for a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. "Coach [Golden] has done a fabulous job. His staff, the roster construction, style of play … they're going to put stress on you regardless."
The Aggies (20-9, 9-7) brought their trademark physical style, jumping out to a 16-10 lead in the opening minutes. Florida answered with toughness of its own, while Will Richard and Allijah Martin provided perimeter scoring to swing momentum.
"I think we did a good job in practice. It starts there," said Thomas Haugh, describing how the Gators prepared for A&M’s relentless rebounding. "That's obviously what A&M does. They are a crazy, crazy good offensive rebounding team; best in the nation. So, we worked on rebounding a lot in practice and it showed up in the game. We knew we had to come out with an edge and physicality and stuff like that."
Florida carried a 45-34 lead into halftime, with Richard opening the second half by hitting back-to-back threes that quickly stretched the margin to 17.
The Aggies clawed back, cutting the deficit to six with under nine minutes left by attacking inside and earning trips to the free-throw line. The atmosphere inside the O’Dome grew tense, but Richard and Alex Condon reignited the energy by attacking A&M’s extended defense, following Golden’s instructions.
"Coach emphasized just not slowing down when they went into their press," Richard said. During the game, he passed both Al Horford and Joakim Noah to move into 42nd place on Florida’s all-time scoring list with 1,138 points. "We just did a great job staying aggressive. Condon did a great job making passes and plays, and I just hit open looks. It was good for us to finish a game that way. It was something that we can definitely build on."
Fifth-year guard Alijah Martin (15) hit four 3s in the first half.
Will Richard sparked the crowd with a three-pointer, only for A&M guard Wade Taylor IV to answer with one of his own. Richard quickly responded with another triple, and Florida’s next possessions ended with two powerful dunks from Alex Condon that sent the arena into a frenzy and stretched the lead to 11 with just over six minutes left.
Taylor trimmed the margin with two free throws, but the Aggies’ defense then allowed Walter Clayton Jr. to step into a deep three from the logo, pushing the lead back to 12. After another A&M free throw, Richard buried his sixth three-pointer to extend the advantage to 14.
The Aggies managed to cut the deficit to 10 with three minutes remaining, but Florida closed strong, scoring the final nine points to secure its 21st double-digit win of the season — nine of those coming in SEC play.
"You have to bounce back in this league or else you can catch yourself in a two- or three- or four-game losing streak -- and you can be a great team and be in the middle of that," Coach Todd Golden said, reflecting on his team’s resilience and noting A&M’s current struggles. "I think it shows a lot about our maturity, our ability to kind of flush losses, but also learn from the mistakes we made in those games."
Florida’s toughness and composure carried the night, rising to the challenge when it mattered most.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
