Florida basketball score, takeaways: No. 6 Gators pull away from Vanderbilt without Walter Clayton Jr.

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Image Credit: UAA

Fresh off a frustrating road loss, No. 6 Florida Gators basketball had its collective back against the wall hosting the Vanderbilt without senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. on the court. Clayton, who injured his ankle three days earlier, was ruled out of Tuesday’s game with the Gators in need of a get-right showing against an upset-minded ‘Dores squad.

Florida ultimately prevailed 86-75 despite trailing in the first half. The Gators locked down defensively over the latter 20 minutes with three starters reaching double figures, two of which significantly rebounded from a disappointing effort over the weekend.

Let’s take a look at what went down in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center with some Fastbreak Takeaways.

It was over when … Florida completed a 7-0 run with a dagger 3-pointer from senior guard Will Richard to pull ahead of Vanderbilt by 14 points with 2:45 to play. Minutes earlier, the Gators scored eight straight points as part of an extended 16-4 scoring stretch to increase its lead from two to 11 with 7:41 remaining. Sophomore G Urban Klavzar, who has seen limited action this season, hit a pair of triples that ultimately created a margin of which the ‘Dores were unable to cut into.

First half focus: Florida was efficient in the opening period, but its defense and effort in the paint significantly lacked as Vanderbilt matched it shot for shot over the first 20 minutes. This as redshirt senior G Alijah Martin turned the ball over five times (!) without taking a single shot during the period. Martin went into the locker room with an injury but ultimately returned to the game. The visitors led 36-35 at the break, a position from which UF had been unsuccessful under head coach Todd Golden.

Exceptional efforts: After completely disappearing over the weekend, Richard posted a game-high 21 points hitting 5 of 7 attempts from long range to go along with seven rebounds. Sophomore center Alex Condon posted 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting (though he missed all three of his treys) with nine board and four assists. Junior G Denzel Aberdeen, starting in place of Clayton, posted 13 points but was inefficient hitting just 4 of 12 shots. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh filled out his stat line with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists despite only taking two shots.

Odds & ends: Florida broke a series tie improving to 75-74 all-time against Vanderbilt with a 47-21 mark at home … the Gators under Golden are now 11-20 when trailing at halftime, 54-5 when leading with 5 minutes left, 42-9 when outrebounding an opponent, 39-8 when shooting 45% or better from the field, 19-4 when shooting 40% or better from free throw range and 35-15 when attempting more free throws.

What it means: Not much given Florida was the superior opponent, though winning by double digits without Clayton in tow was impressive considering Vanderbilt was a legitimate competitor with wins this season over Kentucky and Tennessee on its resume. It was also a positive for the Gators to bounce back from a devastating loss by pulling away in the second half at home.

What’s next? Florida’s toughest test of the season awaits Saturday when it visits No. 1 Auburn. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. ET and air live nationally on ESPN. There will not be a return matchup between the Gators and Tigers this season.