Gators hold off late rally by MSU for second straight SEC win

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Behind a strong start by Will Richard and second-half contributions from Florida’s other starting guards, the Gators won consecutive games for the first time in SEC play Wednesday with a 79-70 victory over Mississippi State.

Florida saw a 17-point lead cut to six with 3:15 left after a 14-3 run by the Bulldogs, but UF responded with an 10-4 run of its own — all at the charity stripe — to get back in front by double digits despite not making any field goals in the final 4:11. Florida knocked down eight straight free throws and shot 85 percent at the line (17-for-20).

“Ten free throws down the stretch to ice it, and never allowed them to get super, super tight in the final four minutes,” UF coach Todd Golden said. “This was a huge win for us, you know, and one that will travel for us. They’re a very physical, very good team.”

Richard had his fourth 20-point performance of the season, scoring 18 of his 23 points in the opening period, and was one of four Gators in double figures. Richard tied his season high with four 3-pointers, finished one rebound shy of a double-double and capped the first half with a steal and slam.

“He had his best game as a Gator tonight,” Golden said of Richard. “Created some second-chance opportunities for us early in the game. That led to some points and got us going a little bit, hit some big 3s.

“But 23 points, nine rebounds on the glass, two steals, two blocks, plus-nine. He gave us a really, really great game tonight. I think he’s continuing to get more comfortable getting into SEC play, and he’s been playing pretty well.”

Guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin had 15 points and five rebounds apiece, as Clayton scored 12 in the second half and Pullen committed no turnovers for the second straight game. Forward Tyrese Samuel added 12 points and eight rebounds. Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard led all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-25 shooting, attempting a third of the Bulldogs’ 75 field goals.

“Hubbard is a really good player, awesome to watch. Reminds me a little bit of Jared Harper, the guy that played at Auburn back in the day, or Earl Boykins for guys that remember,” Golden said. “He got 26 points, but it was a little inefficient. He had to take 25 (shots), so live with that a little bit. The one thing we didn’t do well enough was just finishing possessions with rebounds. We gave them 22 offensive rebounds.”

MSU took an early lead and led by as many as five points, but Micah Handlogten’s and-one play at the 8:36 mark put the Gators ahead and was the start of an 8-0 run as they led the rest of the way. Up 43-34 at the break, Florida maintained a double-digit lead for the first 13 minutes of the second half and pushed it to 66-49 with 7:22 left before MSU’s late rally.

The Bulldogs won the battle inside, holding the advantage in rebounding (46-41) and points in the paint (36-28). It marked just the fourth time this season that Florida has been outrebounded as Mississippi State grabbed the first nine boards of the game.

“The first four minutes of the game, we couldn’t grab a rebound. A little concerning,” Golden said, “but I thought after those first four — from that 16-minute mark in the first half to that eight-minute mark in the second half — we played some really, really good basketball. Now obviously, we want to strive to play 40, but it’s not always gonna happen against good teams. I’m really, really pleased with the win.”

The Gators (13-6, 3-3 SEC) are back home Saturday at 12 p.m. against Georgia and former UF coach Mike White. The Bulldogs (14-5, 4-2) defeated LSU on Wednesday, 68-66.