The Florida Gators improved to 2-0 in season openers under head coach Todd Golden with a 93-73 win over Loyola (MD) Monday.
W in the books ✔️#GoGators | presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/sVBPyvEZkV
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 7, 2023
The Gators stormed out to an early 16-0 lead and cruised to victory over the Greyhounds. Sophomore Riley Kugel led Florida in scoring with 23 points while Micah Handlogten (16), Tyrese Samuel (15), and Alex Condon (13) all ended up in double digits.
The 16-0 run was highlighted by a Walter Clayton three and a Will Richard dunk to put the crowd into a frenzy early.
For the Gators, it didn’t matter who was on the floor, the matchups favored Florida. As a result, ten Gators saw action, eight of which played for at least 16 minutes. In total, the Florida bench scored 27 points in the game.
By halftime, Florida possessed a 42-30 advantage thanks to 52% shooting.
Somehow, the Gators were even hotter in the second half as they scored 51 points and made 63% of their attempts in the final period.
Kugel finishes his night 10-15 from the floor and added three rebounds and four assists to his statline as well. Clayton totaled nine points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 33 minutes of action as the team’s point guard.
Florida shot just 6-16 from three-point range and made just 15-30 from the free throw line.
The Gators will step up in competition on Friday when they take on ACC stalwart Virginia in Charlotte, NC. The game is scheduled to get underway at 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on ACC Network.