The Golden Era of Florida Gators basketball got underway with a fast start Monday night. The Gators used fast starts at the beginning of each half to rout Stony Brook 81-45 for the first win with Todd Golden at the helm of the program.
Good to be home 💥#GoGators | @wellsfargo pic.twitter.com/aRA9Yx2iN7
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 8, 2022
The Gators jumped out to a 23-3 lead and never looked back. At the halftime break, Florida possessed a 38-22 lead.
Golden was impressed, however, with what he saw from his team the next twenty minutes of play. Despite playing with a big lead, the Gators continued to fight and play with a ton of effort. Florida opened the second half on a 9-2 run before the first media timeout.
As Florida’s lead continued to swell, the defensive intensity continued. In total, the Gators forced SBU into 18 turnovers and kept them to a 31% clip from the field, including a 21% mark from 3-point range.
The Gators were led by LSU transfer Alex Fudge, who finished with 16 points. Will Richard, a transfer from Belmont, added 14 points on 4-5 from the floor. Colin Castleton was the only other double-digit scorer, finishing with 13 points and five rebounds.
For the contest, Florida shot 48% from the field and 40% from three-point range. The Gators only turned the ball over ten times despite ten players seeing more than ten minutes of action.
The Gators are back in action Friday as they host Kennesaw State at Exactech Arena with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.