Walter Clayton Jr. injury update: Florida Gators star goes to locker room before halftime

Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. went straight to the locker room with 1:07 to go in the first half of their game against Tennessee with an apparent injury.

Trailing 21-19, Clayton came back down after a shot and appeared to roll his left ankle. In a low scoring affair, the Gators could ill afford to lose one of their stars.

Tennessee led Florida 24-21 at halftime once the clocks hit all zeroes. Clayton was three-of-11 shooting, including two-of-eight from three-point land, for 10 points, one rebound and one steal.

He led all scorers during the game to that point.

Clayton’s been one of the best players in the country for a hot Florida team. He recently broke the school record for consecutive games with a made three-pointer.

With his first trey against the South Carolina Gamecocks earlier this month, Clayton broke UF’s record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer, breaking Michael Frazier II’s mark of 41. Coincidentally, Frazier set Florida’s single-game 3-pointer record at South Carolina, hitting 11 in his 37-point performance on March 4, 2014.

Walter Clayton exits game with apparent injury

“I just learned about the streak, a couple of weeks ago when it 36, 37. I honestly can’t remember the last game (with no 3-pointer), 41 games, that’s what it was,” Clayton said of his streak at the time.

“I know to have my name with some of those other guys up there, they were great players. Obviously being a part of the Gators tradition. I’m happy about that. But just getting a win, that’s all that matters.”

Head coach Todd Golden was amazed by his player’s efforts.

“I’m just really proud of him for what he’s been able to accomplish, obviously, from an individual standpoint, but also the way he’s been able to lead us to, you know, the season we’re having,” Golden said of Clayton. “There were a lot of question marks around him in terms of, what is he going to be able to do? Is he gonna be able to take on this leadership role?

“Well, starting point guard for a top-five team in the country, and currently, being talked about as a second-team All-American, I think he’s doing a great job. His consistency and his competitiveness for us have been elite all year. He’s a guy that he makes you a better coach, being able to roll him out there every night and let him play with the freedom that he does.”