What Happened
SUNRISE, Fla. – Senior guard
Xaivian Lee continued to work his way out of an early-season shooting slump on Saturday, posting a
Florida
career-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the 18th-ranked Gators to an 80-70 win over George Washington in the Orange Bowl Classic at Amerant Arena.
Lee shot 6-for-11 from the field, 4-for-8 from long range, while adding six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes to earn MVP honors. It was a strong follow-up to his 19-point performance in Tuesday’s four-point loss to fifth-ranked Connecticut in New York, when he entered shooting just 24.7% overall and 21.1% from three. Junior forward Thomas Haugh contributed 19 points, seven rebounds, and four emphatic second-half dunks. Sophomore point guard Boogie Fland chipped in 12 points and five assists, while forward Alex Condon scored five but led the team with nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Gators shot 50% overall, including 66.7% in the second half to build a 20-point cushion. The Revolutionaries closed the gap to 11 before UF extended the margin again, though they hit eight of their final 10 shots to make the score appear closer than the game truly was. It might have been tighter had GW performed better at the free-throw line, where they went just 7-for-19 (36.8%) despite entering at 75.6% on the season.
UF held a slim 30-27 halftime lead after shooting only 36.7% in the opening period and 4-for-19 from three (21%). Less than three minutes into the second half, the Gators surged ahead by 14 thanks to an 11-0 run that featured scoring from four different players. By the eight-minute mark, the lead had ballooned to 20 at 54-34. The Revs responded with a 9-0 run to briefly make things interesting.
Florida answered quickly with a seven-point burst, highlighted by three consecutive highlight-reel dunks from Haugh, Fland, and then Haugh again, restoring an 18-point advantage with under seven minutes left. GW cut the deficit to eight twice in the final minute, but UF closed the game at the free-throw line to secure the victory.
Thomas Haugh (10) in action Saturday against GW.
Turning Point
The beginning of the second half. It energized the UF bench and ignited the partisan crowd.
Staggering Statistic
The Gators’ struggles from beyond the arc persisted, hitting just six of 27 attempts (22.2%). It marked their seventh game this season shooting under 30% from deep. Inside the arc, however, UF was dominant, converting 21 of 27 shots — an impressive 77.7%.
Up Next
Florida (6-4) returns home for the first time in 26 days, hosting Saint Francis (2-8) on Wednesday night. The Red Flash, members of the Northeast Conference, rank among the nation’s weakest teams by metrics, with their only two wins coming against a Division III opponent and another from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.'
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.
