UF senior guard Will Richard gets fired up on his way to 17 points during the Gators' 95-81 win.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two months earlier, Missouri came into Exactech Arena and stunned Florida by knocking down 10 three-pointers, controlling the tempo, and handing the Gators their only home loss of the season.
In Friday night’s rematch, the Gators flipped the narrative. Florida seized control from the opening minutes, shot with remarkable efficiency for most of the contest, but occasional lapses in rebounding and ball security allowed Missouri to stay within reach well into the second half. Ultimately, UF responded the way a team chasing a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed should—by finishing strong.
The senior guard trio of Walter Clayton Jr.Alijah Martin, and Will Richard combined for 52 points, including eight makes from beyond the arc, to lead the fourth-ranked and second-seeded Gators to a 95-81 victory over Missouri in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal at Bridgestone Arena. Florida (28-4) extended its streak to four straight wins and 10 of its last 11, earning a spot in Saturday’s semifinal against fifth-ranked and third-seeded Alabama (25-7), which defeated No. 15 Kentucky 99-70 later that evening.
The win further strengthened Florida’s case for a No. 1 seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament. Among power-conference programs, only Duke has more victories than the Gators’ 28.
"They're a 1-seed in my eyes," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said afterward. "They obviously played like it."
Walter Clayton Jr. paced the team with 18 points and six assists, though he also committed five of Florida’s 16 turnovers against Missouri’s aggressive perimeter defense, which led the league in steals during the regular season. Clayton scored 17 in the first half before leg cramps slowed him in the second.
"It wasn't as much them as it was us, especially me. I take a lot of blame for that," Clayton said of the turnovers that made a night—when Florida shot 61.8 percent overall, nearly 81 percent inside the arc, and handed out 20 assists—more tense than expected after halftime. "We got sped up a little bit rather than playing fast, which is our pace, but not too fast."
Florida coach Todd Golden (left) advises his point guard, Walter Clayton Jr., during Friday night's action.
Together, they figured things out. Alijah Martin and Will Richard each contributed 17 points, while sophomore forward Thomas Haugh provided a major spark off the bench with 16 points. Haugh went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line, added seven rebounds, and five assists, showing the kind of impact expected from an SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Missouri’s Caleb Grill, who earned that honor earlier in the week, finished with 11 points and one rebound in Friday’s contest.
UF sophomore Alex Condon chipped in nine points, grabbed eight boards, and blocked three shots.
"Obviously, a couple areas we weren't at our best," UF coach Todd Golden said after his team was beaten 18-9 on the offensive glass, which led to 20 second-chance points for Missouri. "But we did a lot of great things, as well."
Defensively, Florida held firm. Missouri (22-11), bound for the NCAA Tournament, was limited to 44.1 percent shooting overall—four points below its season average—and managed just four made 3-pointers on 16 attempts, five fewer than its usual output. In the earlier meeting on Jan. 14, an 83-82 Missouri win, the Tigers had dropped 11 triples, including six from Grill, with seven coming in the first half as they built a 19-point lead.
This time, Florida controlled the opening half. The Gators scored the first 10 points of the game, eight of them from Richard, who knocked down two 3-pointers. UF built a 14-point advantage, saw it cut in half, but pushed back out to a 13-point margin at halftime, leading 50-37 thanks to 7-for-14 shooting from deep despite committing nine turnovers.
"We came out and tried to be aggressive," Richard said.
Thomas Haugh went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line.
Missouri played without forward and leading scorer Mark Mitchell, who was sidelined after suffering an injury in Thursday night’s second-round victory over Mississippi State. Despite the absence, the Tigers kept battling, with 14 of the 15 players who saw action contributing points. Guard Tamar Bates paced the team with 16.
Early in the second half, Missouri strung together a 10-2 run to trim the margin to six. After Alijah Martin answered with a layup, the Tigers responded with five more points, knocking down their fourth and fifth consecutive field goals to make it 64-60 with 13 minutes left, stirring unease among Florida fans.
Florida held a 70-64 advantage when center Peyton Marshall went to the line for two free throws but missed both. Martin then delivered consecutive baskets, the second an alley-oop slam off a transition assist from Will Richard, stretching the lead back to 10. Missouri cut the deficit to 75-70 with seven minutes remaining, largely by dominating the offensive glass.
The final three minutes belonged to Florida, highlighted by Alex Condon, whose dunk sparked a 10-2 surge in which he scored six points. Thomas Haugh added to the momentum, converting 5-of-6 free throws in the closing minutes to help secure the win.
Haugh has now raised his season free-throw percentage to 81.2, with 112 attempts ranking second on the team. This marks a significant improvement from his freshman campaign, when he shot 46.7 percent.
"It was an emphasis for me last summer," Haugh said.
Looking ahead, Haugh and the Gators know there are other areas that need attention.
"Big picture-wise, getting back on the glass, taking care of the ball," Golden said. "It's what we need to do if we want to make a deep run."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
