Will Richard scored a game-high 26 points on 9 of 12 shooting to lead the host Florida Gators to a comfortable 99-45 victory over the North Florida Ospreys on Saturday afternoon in Gainesville, Florida.

The No. 7 Gators (12-0) continued their second-best start in program history and best since the start of the 2005-06 season at 17-0. That season, Florida won its first consecutive national championship.

Florida continued to show the kind of poise on both ends of the floor that could give it a shot at this year’s national title, as it led by as many as 48 points in the second half. The Gators wasted no time taking control of the game and scoring the first 10 points. Florida later closed the first half with a 14-0 run and took a 54-17 lead by halftime.

Jasai Miles and Liam Murphy each had 13 points to lead North Florida (7-6), which lost its second straight game and third in the last four games. The Ospreys also lost 3-2 to teams from Power Four conferences.

The Ospreys are nearly the best in the country in three-point shots made per game (12.6). But Florida quickly negated that strength by playing strong perimeter defense from the start. North Florida shot just 3 for 16 (18.8 percent) from 3-point range in the first half and went 8 for 34 (23.5 percent) for the game.

The Gators finished with 11 steals, including three by Walter Clayton Jr., and scored 16 points off 17 North Florida turnovers.

The Gators also smashed the Ospreys on the glass, outscoring them 65-25 in rebounding, including a 26-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, which led to a stunning 48-10 advantage in scoring in the paint.

Three Florida players, including two of its reserves, recorded double-doubles. Alex Condon totaled 12 points, 10 rebounds and blocked two shots. Sam Alexis finished the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds and Thomas Haugh had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Gators also shared the ball well and finished the game with 20 assists, led by four from Denzel Aberdeen.

–Field level media