BROOKLYN, NY (WCJB) – The (4-1) Gators put on a showcase in the NIT Tip-Off tournament. Florida finished the first half with a 12-4 run and left Pittsburgh in the rearview mirror. UF grabs the biggest nonconference win in the Todd Golden era, 86-71.
In the first half, Florida got off to a slow start as the previously undefeated (4-1) Panthers led 19 to 10. After the media timeout, the Gators outscored Pitt 29 to 15. Walter Clayton scored 13 points to end the half including a three-pointer to tie it at 34. Thomas Haugh iced the half with a three-pointer at the buzzer, 39-34.
Golden said about the resilience of this team, “I thought early on our issues were more on the offensive end. We weren’t executing very well. Defensively, I think Blake Hinson banked in a 3 to get them up 7-0, so a little of it was fluky. We knew if we stayed the course that we’d be all right. But I thought the guys did a good job of controlling their emotions and keeping calm through it, and we responded pretty quickly.”
In the second half, the Panthers rallied to take a 42-41 lead. Florida quickly snapped out of it and went on a 19-5 run to close this game out. Clayton ended the night with a season high 28 points, shot 65 percent from the field and went 6 for 8 from the three-point line.
Clayton said, “Just everybody on the team finding me in my spots. We had, what, 24 assists? We were just finding each other tonight, and glad the shots were falling.”
Zyon Pullin continued to show how unselfish he is with the ball. The UC Riverside transfer had eight of Florida’s 24 assists and netted 10 points. Another dominant night in the paint for Tyrese Samuel. The Seton Hall transfer was shot 9 for 11 and recorded 20 points. Riley Kugel also added five points and six assists.
Golden said, “I think we had to wear them down a little bit. They’re a good team and they did a good job of putting pressure on us, on the glass, which kind of limited our opportunities. But once we started getting those clean rebounds in the second half we have multiple guys who can bring it and make decisions, and that allows us to really push and play with really good tempo. They just weren’t getting back as well as the game went on, as they were early on. I thought we did a good job taking advantage of that.”
On Friday, the Gators end their road trip at the NIT Tip-off against No. 13 Baylor. Game time is at 5:30 pm.
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