No. 6 Florida powers past Stetson

Alijah Martin scored 18 points and Will Richard added 17 on 8-of-11 shooting as No. 6 Florida coasted past Stetson 85-45 on Sunday in Gainesville, Fla.

Walter Clayton Jr. paired 12 points with seven assists for the Gators (13-0), who completed a perfect nonconference slate and will begin Southeastern Conference play with three straight matchups against currently ranked opponents. Florida shot 50.7 percent overall and held a 34-2 advantage in fast-break points.

Mehki Ellison scored 15 points to lead the Hatters (2-11), who finished 26.5 percent from the floor and fell to 0-3 this season against SEC foes. Jordan Wood added eight points and Daniel Macgregor netted seven.

The Gators built an early double-digit lead by knocking down six of their first nine field-goal attempts. Back-to-back triples by Clayton and Thomas Haugh capped a string of four straight Florida makes that boosted the Gators ahead 17-5.

Florida stretched the margin by knocking down two more 3-pointers while generating multiple easy looks at the rim, including a fast-break flush from Richard that made it 33-14 with 5:36 left in the first half.

Stetson rallied with eight straight points to pull within 11, but the Gators regained control by closing the half with a 13-5 run. Richard punctuated an eight-point flurry during that stretch with a one-handed transition dunk, putting Florida up 46-24.

The Gators led 46-27 at the half, keyed by a 19-0 advantage in fast-break points.

Martin added to that total with a two-handed jam as part of Florida’s 8-0 surge to start the second half. The Gators’ lead eclipsed 30 points for the first time when Denzel Aberdeen hit a 3-pointer that made it 65-34 with 10:36 left.

Isaiah Brown continued Florida’s dunk showcase with two straight throwdowns, including a two-handed windmill finish that swelled the lead to 74-39 with 5:53 to go.

The Gators’ advantage reached 40 at 83-43 on Urban Klavzar’s 3-pointer with just over a minute left.

–Field Level Media