ChompTalk.com

Thanks to a big first half and a balanced effort offensively, the Florida Gators defeated Oklahoma 85-63 in front of 10,513 fans at Exactech Arena Tuesday. Florida improved to 23-3 on the season and 10-3 in SEC play.

The Gators dominated the first half of play and did so on the heels of shooting 9-20 from three-point range. Walter Clayton and Will Richard each knocked down three triples and paced Florida in scoring during the first half with eleven points. The Gators took their biggest lead of the first half at the buzzer as Urban Klavzar’s layup made it 46-24.

Florida was on cruise control for much of the second half, possessing a large lead that never got below 17 (3:22 into the second half). The Gators would extend the lead to as much as 29 when Micah Handlogten made a layup with 4:12 remaining in just his second game back with the team.

The Gators were led by Clayton in the scoring column as he finished with 18 points on just 6-9 from the floor. Richard and Alijah Martin each finished with 14 while Rueben Chinyelu (11) and Klavzar (10) each reached double figures.

For the game, the Gators shot at a 45% clip while limiting the Sooners to just 39% from the field. The Gators knocked down five more shots from deep and outrebounded Oklahoma by one, 36-35.

Florida will travel to Baton Rouge to face SEC rival LSU at the Pete Maravich Arena Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM and the game will air live on SEC Network.