The Florida Gators handled the Jacksonville Dolphins 81-60 Thursday night at Exactech Arena as Florida improved to 2-0 on the season and won its 34th straight home opener.
Sophomore forward Alex Condon had a career night for the Gators as he led all scorers with 23 points, his most in the orange and blue. Condon was perfect from the floor, shooting 7-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. He also made seven free throws in what was a fantastic offensive display.
Three other Gators scored in double-figures as Alijah Martin poured in 15, Will Richard had 11 and Sam Alexis added 10.
For Martin, the Florida Atlantic graduate transfer, 13 of his 15 came in a scorching first half. He went 5-of-6 from the floor including three triples. He also had six steals as he was in Jacksonville’s passing lanes all night.
The Gators shot the lights out in the first 15 minutes of the game, making 13 of their first 15 from the floor, an 86% clip. Florida cooled down to end the first half, missing seven of its final 10 shots. A key difference in favor of the Dolphins in the first was the offensive rebounding category. Jacksonville cleaned up 10 offensive boards, leading to nine second-chance points. However, with the hot shooting start, Florida led by 14 at halftime.
In the first four minutes of the second half, the Gators extended their lead to 20 thanks to a 10-2 run. From there, Florida never looked back as the advantage got as high as 25 with over four minutes to play. The bucket that made it a 25-point game was a monstrous, posterizing slam from Walter Clayton Jr. that sent the Rowdy Reptiles into a frenzy.
After a 29-point season opener for the senior guard, Clayton scored just nine against Jacksonville. However, his presence was felt elsewhere as he was a phenomenal facilitator, racking up seven assists, the most he’s had in a Gators’ uniform.
Thursday night was a homecoming game for Jacksonville head coach Jordan Mincy who spent six years on the coaching staff at Florida from 2015-21. He was part of four consecutive NCAA tournament births with the Gators in his tenure in Gainesville. Mincy is looking to lead the Dolphins to a second winning season since taking the reigns before the 2021-22 season.
Mincy and Jacksonville’s leading scorer on the night was Robert McCray V, who had 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. McCray, a junior guard, was named the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 18.4 points per game last season.
Todd Golden’s Florida squad impressed on the defensive side of the ball. Besides McCray’s 20 points, there was only one Dolphin in double-figures as Zach Bell scored 11. The Gators forced 18 Jacksonville turnovers leading to 24 points off of them. Florida also blocked 10 shots as a team, four of them coming from Alexis, the Chattanooga transfer, in just 15 minutes.
The Gators will look to continue their defensive dominance and improve to 3-0 on Monday as they take on the Grambling State Tigers in a Veteran’s Day matchup at Exactech Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on SEC Network+.
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