Everything Todd Golden said after Florida's 87-74 win over FSU

The Florida Gators won their first road game of the season Friday with an 87-74 win at Florida State. Todd Golden is the third coach in school history and the first in nearly 50 years to win his first three meetings against the Seminoles.

Walter Clayton Jr. finished a team-high 25 points, fellow senior guard Alijah Martin and junior forward Sam Alexis added 12 points off the bench. Here’s everything Golden said after the game and video from his postgame press conference.

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On handling FSU’s pressure:

TODD GOLDEN: “Honestly, I thought we handled the press well. I thought it was more the half-court pressure that we had issues with. We did a good job staying organized. I think we only had one or two turnovers in regards to them trying to keep us from getting the ball inbounds. But we had lapses. I thought early in the game, we struggled, which can happen, especially the first time you play a team like Florida State with their athleticism, their length, their quickness. Middle of the first half, I thought we were really, really good. We got up 18 points, and a big part of that was just taking care of the basketball. We had eight turnovers at halftime (10); we had 11 in the second half (9). If the end of that game had gone differently, that would’ve been the issue. That would’ve been what we pointed at and said, ‘This is what cost us the game.’ We had some guys step up and make some big shots late, kind of saved us. Obviously, we have to do a much better job taking care of the ball, especially as we will see more teams that guard like this when we get into SEC play.”

On winning the rebounding battle:

TODD GOLDEN: “That was the offset for us. We lost the turnover battle by 11, but we won the boards by 18. Sometimes, it’s as simple as that. We shot 52 [percent] from the field, but they won the shot battle. They got nine more attempts than we did and four more free throws than we did. That’s usually a losing proposition, but the glass is what saved us tonight.”

On the tale of two halves from 3:

TODD GOLDEN: “Yeah. I mean, obviously we shot it really well in the first half. In the second half, we regressed. We’re only 23%, only three makes. But, you know, I do think to Florida State’s credit, they did a good job of slowing us down in the second half and really kind of getting the momentum of the game shifted. They were playing downhill. We were kind of playing on our heels a little bit, but again, you know, we just dug in and found a way, especially in those last four minutes. Tommy’s free throws were huge, and then those two 3s from Alijah and Walt back-to-back were the separators.”

On the play of Sam Alexis: 

TODD GOLDEN: “Sam’s a really good player. He’s coming on for us. You know, he’s a guy that’s a young junior. He only just turned 20 years old. His best basketball is in front of him, but I think you’re seeing a guy that is really comfortable out there. You know, his field goal percentage is insane. He was 5-for-6 again tonight. Did a good job defensively moving his feet. Good job on the glass, and he had some minutes in that game where he was a difference-maker.”

On Alexis saying FSU was the toughest road environment he’s played in:

TODD GOLDEN: “I would challenge him. You know, last year at Chattanooga, they played at Auburn, which I would say is probably similar to this. But I think kind of being in our program now, you know, coming in a rivalry game, I think was something that was probably really new and unique to him, and credit him to the way he handled it.”