Live Blog: No. 3 Florida beats No. 12 Texas A&M 89-70

Four days after losing at unranked Georgia 88-83, the third-ranked Gators blasted No. 12 Texas A&M in Gainesville, 89-70. Florida improves to 25-4 overall, 12-4 in the SEC. The Aggies fell to 20-9, 9-7. Texas A&M has dropped four straight SEC games.

Florida guard Will Richard connected on six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points. Forward Thomas Haugh added 17 points as five Gators scored in double figures. Florida made 14 3-pointers; Texas A&M hit only five of them.

You can join the discussion with other Florida fans on Swamp Talk. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 80, Texas A&M 66 (03:47)

The Gators have opened up a comfortable lead as we enter the homestretch. Guard Will Richard just connected on his sixth 3-pointer and has scored a game-high 25 points. Florida has drained 14 3-pointers as a team. The Aggies have made only five.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 72, Texas A&M 61 (06:22)

The Gators have made three straight field goals, two of which were dunks by center Alex Condon. Florida guard Will Richard, who leads UF with 22 points, is 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 65, Texas A&M 59 (7:45)

Florida guard Will Richard now has made four 3-pointers and has a game-high 19 points. On the flip side, Gators guard Walter Clayton, the team’s leading scorer, has only five points and is only 1 of 9 from the field.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 62, Texas A&M 56 (9:19)

The Aggies have made three straight field goals to keep things fairly tight.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 56, Texas A&M 49 (11:59)

Florida has made only one of its last eight shots and we have a game again. Forward Pharrel Payne is pacing the Aggies with 14 points. Texas A&M is shooting only 37 percent from the field but is winning the battle of the boards, 30-26. Florida once led by 17 points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 53, Texas A&M 42 (15:42)

Florida guard Will Richard now has made three 3-pointers and has a team-high 16 points. As a team, the Gators are 10 of 24 from deep. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is 3 of 8. Forward Pharrel Payne leads the Aggies with 14 points. Texas A&M is shooting only 40 percent from the field.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 45, Texas A&M 34 (Half)

The Gators battled back from a slow start to take a nice lead into the break. Florida guard Alijah Martin leads UF with 12 points — all of which have come on 3-pointers. The Gators are shooting 50 percent from the field and have drained eight 3’s. Florida has not lost all season when it led at the half.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 37, Texas A&M 26 (3:40)

After falling behind by six early, the Gators have their first double-digit lead of the game. Florida guard Alijah Martin just hit his third 3-pointer and has a team-high nine points. A&M has missed its last six shots and now is shooting and 42 percent from the field.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 31, Texas A&M 24 (7:57)

The red-hot Gators are 12 of 21 from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range. They hold a 9-1 assist lead and 11-8 rebounding edge over the Aggies. Forward Thomas Haugh is Florida’s top scorer with eight points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 21, Texas A&M 19 (11:00)

Florida is on an 8-3 run and now has connected on 5 of 10 shots from deep. Forward Thomas Haugh and guard Alijah Martin have six points each. Both have made two 3-pointers..

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 10, Texas A&M 14 (14:19)

The Aggies are hot from the field early and already are 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Guard Zhuric Phelps has six early points to pace Texas A&M. Florida is shooting 57 percent but the Gators have two turnovers. Guards Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin have three points each for Florida.

Florida Gators projected starters

No.	Player	Position	Height/Weight	Class	Min.	Pts.	Rebs.	Misc.
1	Walter Clayton Jr.	Guard	6-2, 195 pounds	Sr.	31.8	17.1	3.7	4.0 ast
15	Alijah Martin	Guard	6-2, 210 pounds	Gr.	30.3	14.7	4.7	2.4 ast
5	Will Richard	Guard	6-4, 206 pounds	Sr.	31.8	13.2	4.7	1.9 stl
10	Thomas Haugh	Forward	6-9, 215 pounds	So.	24.0	8.8	6.3	1.9 ast
9	Rueben Chinyelu	Center	6-10, 260 pounds	So.	19.9	6.1	6.5	1.0 blk

Texas A&M Aggies projected starters

No.	Player	Position	Height/Weight	Class	Min.	Pts.	Rebs.	Misc.
4	Wade Taylor IV	Guard	6-0, 180 pounds	Gr.	30.1	15.3	2.9	4.8 ast
1	Zhuric Phelps	Guard	6-4, 190 pounds	Sr.	28.1	14.4	5.2	2.4 ast
9	Solomon Washington	Forward	6-7, 220 pounds	Jr.	22.4	4.8	5.3	1.2 blk
11	Andersson Garcia	Forward	6-7, 220 pounds	Sr.	23.5	5.3	5.9	1.5 ast
21	Pharrel Payne	Forward	6-9, 250 pounds	Jr.	19.4	9.4	4.9	1.1 blk