MVG: Sr guard Will Richard had 17 of Florida's 35 first half points and single handedly kept the Gators in contact of the Bulldogs who at one-time led Florida 41-16. Richard ended up with a career high 30 points, with 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals giving him an team high Value Score of 136. Richard's heroics however were not quite enough as the Gators, despite a huge comeback in the second half and eventually taking a 80-78 lead, fall just short to the Bulldogs 83-88 as Georgia outscored Florida 10-3 to close out the game. Rounding out the top three Value Scores were Sr guard Walter Clayton Jr who scored 18 points, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals but also committed an uncharacteristic 5 turnovers for a Value Score of 77. Center Micah Handlogten pitched in 6 points, 9 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and no turnovers in only 12 minutes of play to net a Value Score of 68. Credit the Bulldogs who fought hard at home to give Coach Mike White his first victory over his former team after starting 0-6 against Coach Golden and the Florida Gators and stopping a 0-12 slide in their last twelve MBB contests against Florida. Box Score Value Leaders Richard.......136 Clayton Jr...c.77 Handlogten...68 Click on thumbnail below for all Value Scores. Value Credits* are assigned as follows: +5 credits for each Steal and Assist +4 credits for each Point scored, Rebound and Block .-5 credits for each Turnover .-1.5 credits for each Field Goal Attempt .-0.75 credit for each Free Throw Attempt * Value Credits are based solely on Box Score data and do not reflect total game contributions by players UGA Game: Box Score Post Game: ESPN Video Lowlights/Interview The Gators next play Texas A&M on Saturday March 1st at 7:30 PM ET in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. SECN
Bad games by Haugh, Martin, and Clayton on the road against a rival desperate for a signature win is a recipe for a loss. They fought their asses off and had many pathways to victory despite a bad day. Just didn’t get it done. Think we will still be tough to beat in March. A lot left to play for.
The story not being talked about is the terrible Gator defense for the 1st fifteen minutes of the game, where UGA was allowed to shoot almost 70% from the field. This is the 2nd game in a row where Florida comes out of the gate, not ready for prime time..(they did this against LSU as well). Then the 3 point play by Cain with about a minute left to play in the 2nd half to give UGA back the lead. Setup by what I felt was a moving pick that wasnt called by the ref's, as the pick basically oblierated the Gator defender and gave Cain a open look at the shot.
Will Richard filled up the hoop after going scoreless the previous game. Basketball is funny, ain't it? Gotta be impressed by Handlogten's 9 rebounds in just 12 minutes. That's huge. Also got 6 points.
After Lsu game, on SEC tv, Patric Young mentioned that UF cannot get off to slow starts because it will cost them and end in an early exit in NCAAs. He said those are good teams that will not let leads go. If UF wants to get to F4, the team has to focus and play starting from tip off. He did mention, btw, my Gator team won 30 in a row but could not beat Uconn.
