Will Richard leads the way as No. 7 Florida dominates North Florida

Field Level Media|published: Sat 21st December, 14:22 2024

NCAA Basketball: North Florida at Florida

Dec 21, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators forward Sam Alexis (4) posts up against North Florida Ospreys forward Liam Murphy (7) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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, Fla.

The No. 7 Gators (12-0) continued what is their second-best start in program history and best since opening the 2005-06 campaign 17-0. That season Florida won the first of back-to-back national championships.

Florida continued to show the kind of balance at both ends of the floor which 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 didn't waste any time taking control of the game, scoring the first 10 points. Florida would later finish the first half on a 14-0 run to take a 54-17 lead to the break.

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

The Ospreys are nearly the best in the nation in three-pointers made per game (12.6). But Florida quickly nullified that strength with strong perimeter defense from the outset. North Florida shot just 3 for 16 (18.8 percent) in the first half from 3-point range and went 8 for 34 (23.5 percent) for the game.

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

The Gators also crushed the Ospreys on the glass, outrebounding them 65-25 including a 26-7 edge in offensive rebounds which led to a staggering 48-10 advantage in terms of 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 with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Thomas Haugh had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Gators also shared the ball well as they finished with 20 assists led by four from Denzel Aberdeen.

--Field Level Media

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