No. 21 Florida makes free throws, sinks USF on emotional night

Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard combined for 54 points on Monday as No. 21 Florida rallied for a 98-83 win over South Florida in an emotional season opener at the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational.

Clayton had 29 points and Richard added 25 for the Gators, who trailed by 13 points in the first half but outscored the Bulls 59-43 after halftime. Alijah Martin and Alex Condon each tallied 13 points. Thomas Haugh, Martin and Richard grabbed six rebounds apiece for Florida.

Jamille Reynolds finished with 17 points and six rebounds for the Bulls, who played just 11 days after head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim died suddenly at age 43 while undergoing a medical procedure. The Gators wore warm-up shirts with Abdur-Rahim's last name across the back.

USF's Kobe Knox had 14 points and five boards, Kasen Jennings chipped in 15 points and Jimmie Williams scored 10.

Florida trailed 36-23 before closing within 40-39 at halftime. The Bulls went ahead 60-59 on De'Ante Green's 3-pointer with 12:44 left, but USF's foul trouble fueled the Gators' ensuing 17-2 run that spanned nearly six minutes.

Florida entered the bonus at the 12:53 mark and slowly pulled away by taking advantage at the free-throw line. The Gators hit nine foul shots during their surge, including Clayton's free throw to polish off a traditional three-point play that capped the run and put Florida up 76-62 with 6:47 to play.

The Gators maintained at least a nine-point lead the rest of the way and finished 27 of 33 from the line, including 23-for-29 in the second half.

Martin converted 7 of 10 free throws, Clayton made all seven of his attempts and Richard went 3-for-3 in the second half. The Bulls hit eight more 3-pointers in the game than Florida but were outscored 24-8 in points off turnovers.

USF engineered an extended 24-7 run in the first half to seize a 13-point lead. The Bulls hit four 3-pointers during the run, including back-to-back triples by Jennings and Reid that capped the surge with 6:13 left before halftime.

The Gators battled back behind Richard, who scored eight straight points during a 10-0 run that pulled Florida within 36-33. USF managed one field goal after its big run as the Gators entered halftime down by a point.

--Field Level Media