No. 5 Florida bounces back to hand Texas 84-60 defeat behind Martin, Clayton

Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel on Jan 18, 2025

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida delivered its SEC welcome to Texas — back in Gainesville for the first time since 1996 — with a performance the Gators desperately needed.

No. 5 UF returned to the win column with an 84-60 victory Saturday after a trying week on and off the court, including a tough loss at home and more turmoil inside Todd Golden’s program.

“We came out and we showed that dog mentality,” veteran guard Alijah Martin said. “We did what we had to do.”

Two days after a surprising 83-82 loss to unranked Missouri snapped a 16-game winning streak in the O’Connell Center, allegations of sexual assault by assistant coach Taurean Green made national headlines.

On Friday, Golden — the subject of an ongoing Title IX inquiry for stalking and sexual harassment — expressed support for Green and questioned the investigation’s process.

On Saturday in the O’Dome, the Gators (16-2, 3-2 SEC) turned their attention to Texas, an SEC newcomer in need of a win itself.

“For us to win the game the way we did … was a great statement,” Golden said.

UF opened sluggishly but soon found its stride behind veteran guards Martin and Walter Clayton Jr. to build a solid lead before running away during a second-half surge. Martin finished with a team-leading 22 points while Clayton had 19.

“It’s a big reason we are where we are,” Golden said of the duo.

Martin added six rebounds and four assists.

Sophomore Alex Condon finished with 11 points, all in the second half, and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

“When he plays with that edge and that fire, he’s really, really hard to keep up with,” Golden said.

UF ended with a 41-33 rebounding edge after allowing 11 offensive rebounds during the second half against Missouri. The Gators had just eight turnovers after allowing 20 points off 13 miscues against the Tigers.

“For us to be an elite team, we have to win in the margins,” Golden said. “We did that tonight. We took care of the ball … Won the rebounding battle.”

Every time Texas (12-6, 1-4) showed signs of life, the Gators answered before pulling away decisively.

Leading 59-52 with 8:51 to go, UF outscored the Longhorns 25-8 the rest of the way to coast to their eighth win at home by more than 20 points in 10 contests in Gainesville.

“Whenever we do what we do, we get on big runs and everybody looks good,” Clayton said.

UF was an 11-point favorite but opened hitting 1 of 10 shots to fall behind the Longhorns and SEC-leading scorer Tre Johnson.

Johnson, the nation’s No. 2 shooting guard in the 2024 class, had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting as Texas surged to an 18-13 lead. The talented true freshman, though, finished with just 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting as Florida senior guard Will Richard shadowed him during his 33 minutes on the court.

“He was locked in,” Golden said. “He did a wonderful job. He made everything really, really hard for Tre.”

After the initial onslaught, the Gators showed their mettle to respond with an 15-0 run led by Clayton, who scored seven of nine points during a stretch including a buzzer-beating baseline floater.

A Johnson layup ended a Longhorns’ scoring drought of more than six minutes and UF settled for a 37-30 halftime lead.

The Longhorns’ first trip to Gainesville since 1996 continued a demanding start to SEC for a newcomer to the league. Texas lost to No. 2 Auburn and No. 1 Tennessee before having beaten Oklahoma Tuesday night, giving Rodney Terry’s squad hope entering Saturday.

“They were one of the more physical teams we’ve played,” Terry said. “They asserted themselves.”