Florida basketball is produced inside and out by two key players in UVA's win

When Florida Basketball trailed by nine early in its ACC-SEC Challenge match against Virginia, senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. said a simple but stern message came from the bench.

“Play harder,” Clayton said. “We came out a little sluggish.”

The Florida Gators increased their intensity, taking a four-point halftime lead and securing an 87-69 win over Virginia in front of 9,184 spectators on Wednesday night at the O’Connell Center.

The inside-out combination of Clayton and second-year forward Alex Condon gave UF its ninth straight win to open the 2024-25 season.

The 6-foot-1 Clayton scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, shooting 10 of 19 from the floor and 5 of 12 from 3-point range. Clayton added four assists and was able to get to the basket at will when he wasn’t blocking long-range shots.

“My teammates just told me to keep shooting and they kept finding me,” Clayton said.

Florida coach Todd Golden said Clayton’s leadership and performance “make him a better coach.” Clayton scored 20 or more points for the fourth time this season. For Clayton, the victory was personal. He had several crucial turnovers in last season’s 73-70 loss to Virginia.

Clayton responded to the missed 3-pointer when he was fouled by staying on the O’Connell Center court a few seconds longer, perhaps taking a breather as he logged 34 minutes before the point. He then calmly sank a free throw to put Florida ahead 70-52 with 8:47 left.

“It’s an incredible talent, an irrational confidence,” Golden said. “For him it’s not irrational. He has a great level of confidence but is also a great competitor.”

How Florida sophomore basketball forward Alex Condon impacted the win

The 6-foot-2 Condon efficiently scored 19 points by going 7 of 8 from the floor, 1 of 1 from 3-point range and 4 of 6 from the foul line. Condon added eight rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block for an all-around solid game on the floor.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Leave a Reply Cancel reply