ChompTalk.com

The No. 24 Florida Gators (19-8, 9-5 SEC) came into the Stephen O. Connell Center Saturday, just days after a heartbreaking road loss to Alabama.

But Todd Golden’s Gators showed they have the ability to bounce back, as they cruised to a 77-64 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores (7-20, 2-12 SEC).

Florida junior guard Will Richard was the hot hand for the Gators, scoring a team-leading 21 points and nailing five three-point shots.

The Gators as a team hit nine three-pointers compared to Vanderbilt’s five.

Alongside Richard, Florida junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. was his usual consistent self, adding 19 more points for the Gators. Florida senior forward Tyrese Samuel also was a massive contributor for the Gators, as he also added 15 points.

Off the Gator bench, freshman forward Alex Condon impressed, scoring eight points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Six of his eight points came from the free throw line, where he accounted for half of the Gators’ makes from the stripe.

Defensively, the Gators were on their A-game early, limiting Vanderbilt to only 20 first half points, and helping UF head into halftime up 15.

The second half was more of the same, as the Commodores struggled to get shots to fall consistently. They had a late push, but the Gators held on to their lead to secure the massive win.

Vanderbilt sophomore forward Ven-Allen Lubin was their leading scorer with 15 points. Two other Commodores scored in double digits, as senior guards Evan Taylor and Ezra Manson both scored 10 in the contest.

Now the winners of eight of their last 10, the Gators will host the Missouri Tigers (8-19, 0-14 SEC) on Wednesday evening at the O’Connell Center.

Following that, the Gators have three remaining matchups in the regular season, as they will travel to No. 20 South Carolina, host No. 13 Alabama and face Vanderbilt on the road.