Will Richard (5) dropped five 3s on his way to a game-high 21 points in Tuesday night's win over Vanderbilt.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Roughly five hours before tip-off, the Florida Gators gathered in their locker room and learned that senior point guard and leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. might not be available for Tuesday night’s matchup against Vanderbilt due to the ankle sprain he sustained three days earlier in the loss at Tennessee.
The message for the Gators quickly became fitting for a contest against the Commodores.
All hands on deck.
UF coach Todd Golden and his staff told junior guard Denzel Aberdeen he would make the first start of his career and be tasked with directing the offense. Two seldom-used reserves — sophomore guard Urban Klavzar and freshman wing Isaiah Brown, each with just five minutes of mop-up duty in Southeastern Conference play — were also expected to contribute.
"We needed guys to step up and take advantage of opportunities," Golden said.
And they did. Florida, ranked sixth, secured an 86-75 win that showcased the impact of its bench players while also serving as a rebound performance for starters eager to move past the weekend’s blowout defeat — a game that hardly reflected what the Gators (19-3, 6-3) had shown through their first 20 outings of the season.
Senior guard Will Richard, who managed only two points on two attempts at Knoxville, erupted for 21 points, knocked down five 3-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds in a career-high 39 minutes. Sophomore forward Alex Condon, limited to one field goal and four points in the previous game, responded with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Aberdeen, stepping in for Clayton and playing "fantastic," according to his coach, added 13 points, three assists, and no turnovers across a career-high 35 minutes.
As for Klavzar? More on him below.
"We came in with the mindset of 'next man up,' " said Aberdeen, who guided an offense that shot 57 percent overall — including 64 percent in a 51-point second half when the Gators seized control — and finished with a SEC-best 20 assists against 10 turnovers. "Our guys came off the bench and did a great job of keeping that mindset going, keeping us in that rhythm."
Junior guard Denzel Aberdeen was "fantastic" in the first start of his career.
Even more impressively, the Gators did so on a night when momentum wasn’t consistently in their favor. The Commodores (16-6, 4-5), fresh off wins over top-10 opponents Tennessee and Kentucky in the past two weeks, shot nearly 54 percent in the opening half to take a 36-35 lead into the break. Both teams came out firing after halftime, trading baskets early.
Vanderbilt held a 50-49 edge with just under 14 minutes remaining when UF backup forward Sam Alexis connected on only his third 3-pointer of the season, putting the Gators ahead by one. Following a defensive stop, Will Richard buried another 3 to extend the lead to five — a margin that, after 12 lead changes and 11 ties in the first 28 minutes, felt far larger than it was.
And soon, it was.
"The 3s were back-breakers," Commodores coach Mark Byington said.
Indeed, they were. Florida’s lead grew to 57-54, though Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards (20 points) and physical backup forward Jaylen Carey (15 points, 5 rebounds) kept the visitors within striking distance. With just under nine minutes left, Alexis was double-teamed at the high post and kicked the ball out to Urban Klavzar — the Slovenian sharpshooter who had been just 3-for-18 from deep this season.
Klavzar calmly drained a 3 from the wing.
"Felt great when I hit the first one," Klavzar said. "The second felt special when the whole arena kind of erupted."
Sophomore guard Urban Klavzar (7) launches his first made 3 (it was a big one) of the SEC season
That second shot came on the very next possession, when Thomas Haugh (8 points, 9 rebounds) delivered a bounce pass in transition to an open Urban Klavzar on the wing. Bang! Another 3-pointer in just 35 seconds. The lead stretched to nine. Timeout Vanderbilt.
"Once he made that first one I was pretty confident the second one was going to go in. You could tell he got a little confidence and let it rip," Golden said. "Nothing but net on both. Those were huge, huge shots for us. Really proud of him."
Out of the timeout, the Gators forced another stop and capitalized in the halfcourt when guard Alijah Martin (8 points, 4 assists), who had missed his first nine shots at Tennessee and committed five turnovers in the first half of this game, finally connected on a left-handed jumper in the paint to push the margin to 11.
The Commodores managed to cut the deficit to seven once, but Florida kept applying pressure. Three consecutive possessions ended with Aberdeen free throws, a baseline tomahawk dunk by Martin, and Will Richard’s final 3-pointer of the night with 2:41 remaining.
"We showed we had depth, but for us I think it was more about coming out and playing hard. Playing with effort and energy," Richard said. "I feel like that's what separates us and takes us to the next level."
This time, that effort carried the Gators to another win, with Walter Clayton Jr. cheering enthusiastically from the sideline. Florida pulled off a big victory without its leader, and now looks ahead to a Saturday showdown against No. 1 and unbeaten Auburn — perhaps with Clayton back in the lineup.
"Honestly, I'm as proud of this win as I am any of the others due to the circumstance," Golden said after his team improved to 11-1 at home this season. "We stepped up."
And truly, everyone did.
