What happened

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Fifth-year guard at Florida Aliyah Martin Scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, as a sophomore forward Alex Condon posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists as the eighth-ranked Gators earned a 71-63 road win over host Arkansas in their Southeastern Conference game Saturday at Walton Arena.

Senior security guard Walter Clayton Jr. added 12 points and five assists, scoring all but one of his points in the second half as UF had to play through a sluggish, foul-plagued 20 minutes in which the Razorbacks got to the free throw line 27 times while the visitors tried something to secure a lead of 11 with more than 10 minutes to go, but with six minutes to go it was down to three.

Clayton then hit a 3-pointer and Condon followed with two free throws and a run-out dunk to ice the home team’s rally. After two free throws from the Arkansas point guard Boogie Fland (15 points), Martin responded with a 3 that restored the 11-point lead. Seven seconds later, Martin was fouled, followed shortly after Rueben Chinyelu (and finally Thomas Haugh), with the Hogs making it a seven-point game with 2:26 left on a 3 by Fland.

However, on UF’s end, Condon drained a three-pointer late in the period and hit a low-post roller after a defensive stop to put his team up by a dozen with 1:23 to play.

Arkansas jumped out to a nine-point lead early in the game, but UF scored 11 unanswered points for the first time at 15:13 and, despite shooting, didn’t trail for the rest of the game (there were two ties). just 31.4 percent and hit just three of 13 shots from distance in the first half. The Gators were better in the second half, shooting 48 percent overall and five of 12 from distance. They won the rebounding battle 49-39 and outscored the Hogs in the paint 32-22.

The Hogs, who led by 17 points Adou Thieroshot just 30 percent for the game and finished three of 16 from beyond the arc. They were 24 of 35 at the free throw line.

What it means

Post another win in Quadrant 1, according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). That opens up UF’s 4-1 chances in the first quarter (real-time results are subject to change, of course) and puts the Gators in an SEC race that depends The severity of the problem may have become even more contested, one game away from first place, with an injury to the Auburn forward Johnie Broome, the best player in the league and top candidate for national player of the year. Broome was carted off the floor with an ankle injury during the Tigers’ win at South Carolina. For UF, it was the first road win in the series since 2019, after three straight losses.

In the spotlight

Bow, Sam Alexis. The junior backup kept UF’s front-court foul trouble, finishing the game with six points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes.

Amazing statistics

Fans don’t want to see a game when 44 fouls are called and 55 free throws are shot. Neither does the coach. And players definitely I don’t want to play in a game like this, especially four days after the let’em play scrimmage against Tennessee.

Next

After opening SEC play with two of three away games, Florida (15-1, 2-1) will play three of its next four games at home, starting Tuesday night against Missouri (13-3, 2-1) and a late one Tip at 9 p.m. The Tigers are a far cry from the team that was just the second team in SEC history to go 0-18 in the league. They opened the season with a road loss at Memphis, then rattled off 10 straight wins, including an upset at home against No. 1 Kansas, and beat Vanderbilt 75-66 in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday.

Email the senior author Chris Harry at [email protected]