Top-ranked Florida secured an 81-72 victory against Florida State during their annual rivalry game Tuesday night at a sold-out Tucker Center in Tallahassee, marking the Gators’ sixth consecutive win in the series.
Senior forward Thomas Haugh posted 21 points and 10 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season. Haugh, recognized as a preseason first-team All-American and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, shot four of eight from the floor, hit three of six from 3-point range, and sank 10 of 12 free throws across 34 minutes without committing a turnover.
Backup senior guard Urban Klavzar added 10 points for the Gators, hitting all seven of his free-throw attempts. After missing his first five shots—all from beyond the arc—Klavzar connected on a key 3-pointer midway through the second half and followed it with five consecutive free throws to help push a tight contest into a double-digit advantage.
Point guard Boogie Fland contributed 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 33 minutes of play. The Gators held the lead for 33 minutes, including the final 20-plus minutes of the contest, despite finishing the night shooting 41% overall and going nine of 28 from the 3-point line.
The first half saw both teams struggle offensively, with Florida taking a narrow 31-29 lead into intermission after shooting 37% from the field and converting just three of eight free throws. Florida State shot 39% in the opening 20 minutes, which included missing all nine of their 3-point attempts.
Early in the second half, Florida stretched its lead to eight points before the Seminoles mounted a 7-0 run to narrow the gap to one. The Gators answered with a 7-0 run of their own to build a nine-minute advantage.
Later in the half, Florida State closed within three points at 53-50 before Klavzar orchestrated an eight-point personal scoring run that extended the margin back to 10 points with under four minutes remaining.
The turning point arrived when Florida corrected its early struggles at the foul line. After starting the game 4-for-11 on free throws, the Gators hit 26 of 30 attempts—an 86.7% success rate—over the final 11:19 of regulation.
In a notable statistical quirk, Florida failed to score a single field goal over the final 4:28 of the game, yet managed to outscore Florida State 19-18 down the stretch entirely through free-throw conversions.
With the victory, Florida moves to a 3-0 record and returns home Friday night to face Merrimack (1-2), representing the Metro Conference in its third trip to Gainesville over the past four seasons.
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