Gators ‘get back on track’ vs. Vandy, led by a trio in double figures

GAINESVLLE, Fla — A trio of double-digit scorers Saturday led the Gators to a 77-64 win over Vanderbilt. Will Richard tied his season high with five 3-pointers, the same amount the Commodores made as a team.

Richard produced his fifth 20-point game of the season (21), Walter Clayton Jr. finished one point shy of his fifth consecutive 20-point game (19) and Tyrese Samuel scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half.

Here’s everything Richard, Clayton and Samuel said after the victory over Vandy.

Will Richard

On what’s been working for him recently on his outside shooting: 

Richard: “For me just getting extra reps and stuff in practice. I’ve been working on staying in my shot and stuff like that, not leaning forward or back when I land, so it’s really just reps paying off.”

On if the game had extra significance given his ties to Nashville area: 

Richard: “I mean, a little bit. My freshman year we lost to them in the NIT, so, definitely don’t like losing to Vandy.”

Walter Clayton Jr.

On Vanderbilt’s second-half adjustments: 

Clayton: “I think some of that’s on us. We could have did a better job communicating more in the second half. Just being a better defensive team away from our bench, you know, overall. So, I think that’s what it was.”

On what it means to win a game where they had to grind out and play defense: 

Clayton: “I think for us, it’s been plenty times we done built a lead and let other teams come back, so I think just a mental toughness aspect to it. I think we need to build more mental toughness as a team, being able to get up and just keep those leads and sustain those leads and finish out games. I think it means a lot.”

On the importance of starting fast, Golden’s message to the team this week:

Clayton: “Just obviously trying – you don’t want to lose, come and get a win, get back on track. But as far as Coach’s message, do the same thing, kind of get our identity back. We could have did a better job rebounding today, we were what, minus-1. So, kind of get our identity back, get our juice back, get back rolling.”

On Florida losing the rebounding battle the last couple games: 

Clayton: “I’d say some of that’s on the guards. That’s the guards’ fault. The guards, we can do a better job blocking out.”

On if he was trying to get one more point to reach 20 points: 

Clayton: “Nah, I was good.”

Tyrese Samuel

On the defensive challenge of Vanderbilt:

Samuel: “I just think they have a lot of plays that look the same, so it was just being ready, not knowing what was coming next, so we always have to pay attention to make sure we get that stop.”

On the ball movement leading to 17 assists:

Samuel: “Yeah, just playing together, that’s an emphasis of ours. When everybody eats, it’s fun to do, so just making sure we make the right reads and stuff like that and just play together.”

On Zyon Pullin’s plus-25 despite scoring just two points: 

Samuel: “That just shows you powerful he is, not scoring and making plays, making defensive plays. And it just shows how good of a player he is. Plus-25, better than everyone on both teams, so not really much you can say.”

On Florida’s rebounding the last couple games: 

Samuel: “To be honest I can’t even tell you. I really don’t know, I just think, I don’t know, we have to probably go a little bit more aggressive, I think that’s probably what it is, we’re just not going aggressive enough.”

On if Micah Handlogten’s foul trouble hurt their rebounding efforts: 

Samuel: “Yeah, we always need an extra big. You never know what kind of game’s going to go down, and Micah keeps a lot of the offensive possessions for us, so him being fouled out, it hurts us a little bit. But we still came up with the W.”

On Alex Condon’s performance: 

Samuel: “Played great. He stayed solid, made sure he didn’t foul out today, made his free throws. It’s good for us.”

On Florida’s frontcourt depth: 

Samuel: “Yeah, you see they’re growing from the beginning of the year. They’re just getting more confident, they’re understanding the game more, playing with a little more pace, and it just helps us when the starters or whatever the case is needs a break when they come out there and produce, and that’s all you can really ask for.”

On the improvements Florida can make down the stretch: 

Samuel: “Just closing out games, you know, especially in the second half, for real. Closing out games is probably the main thing, and just rebounding and when teams have to press us, just take care of the ball. And other than that, we’ll be alright.”