23 apiece from Clayton, Pullin not enough in ‘very tough’ loss to UK
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin scored 23 points apiece in the Gators‘ SEC opener Saturday, but their performances weren’t enough to top No. 6 Kentucky.
The 87-85 loss to the Wildcats snapped a six-game winning streak for UF. Clayton and Pullen combined for 14 of the Gators’ final 20 points, but after the 4:11 mark, the team didn’t score a field goal until there was 30 seconds left and UK had the lead.
Clayton produced his fourth 20-point game of the season, and it marked the second for Pullin. Here’s what both Florida guards had to say after the game.
Zyon Pullin
On whether or not they felt like they were in control for most of the game:
Pullin: “It definitely felt like that. Felt like we had them on their heels a little bit, making plays and stuff like that. I just think they made a few more plays at the end of the day. Some correctable stuff we can fix but we’ll be ready for the next game.”
On the frustration of leaving 11 points on the board at the free-throw line:
Pullin: “It’s super tough. We just got to dig deep and find ways to get shots when it comes down to it. They’re a super good offensive team and they got a lot of good players over there so we just had to dig deep a little more and get stops.”
On the atmosphere in the arena in front of a sold-out crowd:
Pullin: “It was great to have the whole community out there. The fans were super engaged. We definitely fed off that.”
On Florida shooting 1-of-11 from 3 in the second half:
Pullin: “I don’t know if they did anything too crazy. I think we’ll just knock them down next game, that’s the biggest thing. I think we got a lot of good looks, shots that we normally make. We got confidence in all our guys to knock those shots down and I’m sure we’ll be ready for the next game.”
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On whether or not he feels defensive lapses were the difference in the game:
Pullin: “Definitely both sides. Definitely have a lot of correctable stuff. I think we just can’t give up 87 points, that’s the biggest thing. We need to find ways, watch film and get better at that.”
Walter Clayton Jr.
On the loss to Kentucky:
Clayton: “It’s very tough, obviously, losing at home and not protecting our home floor. Some positives? We won the rebounding battle a little but we could have won it by more. We gave up 50 points in the second half so that’s definitely something we’ve got to work on.”
On what the team must improve to reach its potential:
Clayton: “The defensive side of the ball. I mean, you put up 85 points, it’s tough losing like that when they put up 87. So, it’s definitely the defensive side.”
On how to improve defense:
Clayton: “Just everybody being on the same page. We had a couple blown coverages, a couple missed rotations and things like that. We just got to get to practice and work on it.”
