Walter Clayton Jr., Tyrese Samuel lead Gators to big win over Pitt
Junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. and senior forward Tyrese Samuel both finished two points shy of their career highs on Friday to lead Florida to an 86-71 win over Pitt in the NIT Season Tip-off in Brooklyn. The Gators won their third game in a row and once again had four players score in double figures.
Up 39-34 at the half following a buzzer beater 3 from freshman forward Thomas Haugh, Clayton scored 10 of Florida’s first 12 points after the break and then UF went on a 9-0 run to stretch its lead to 13 points midway through the second period.
The Gators led by double digits the rest of the way.
Clayton scored a season-high 28 points, including 6-for-8 from downtown (75 percent) and 11-for-17 from the floor (64.7 percent), with five rebounds and two steals.
“It means a lot obviously, just coming up here, getting off the plane and getting a win. That’s all that matters at the end of the day,” Clayton said of the win during his postgame radio interview. “I got guys on my team that were just finding me. They were doubling ‘Rese in the post and kicking it out to me. Everybody was just finding me and getting me open looks. So, I’m glad I was able to knock them down.”
Samuel posted a season-high with 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting and recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Senior point guard Zyon Pullin had 10 points and eight assists, while freshman Alex Condon finished with 11 points and six boards as he replaced starting center Micah Handlogten.
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Handlogten, a sophomore transfer from Marshall, left the game in the opening minute after taking a hard fall and did not return, joining his team on the bench for the second half.
Friday marks Florida’s first three-game winning streak since the second week of January last season.
Pitt controlled the first eight minutes of the game, building a 19-10 lead. From there, the Gators had an 8-0 run and tied the score four times before finally their first lead in the final minute of the half with another 8-0 run.
After a 3-pointer by Graham Diaz put the Panthers up 42-41 with 17:01 left, Clayton responded from downtown and the Gators (4-1) never trailed again. They will face Baylor on Friday in their second game of the NIT Season Tip-off.
