No. 5 Florida routs Georgia as Gators win 12th in a row against Bulldogs

Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel on Jan 25, 2025

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This time, No. 5 Florida didn’t need any last-second drama to keep a special season on track.

After surviving at South Carolina, the Gators didn’t waste any time dispatching Georgia and former coach Mike White, 89-59, Saturday at the O’Connell Center.

Alijah Martin scored 13 of the Gators first 16 points, capped by a layup to begin an 11-0 run for a 24-11 lead. With UF leading 30-17, Will Richard, the hero at South Carolina, made three 3-pointers in the span of three minutes to put the game out of reach.

“All I want to do is dominate and have fun — do it for the guys,” Martin said. “Once we got the ball rolling, we just kept it going.”

Richard hit a game-winning layup with 4.8 seconds remaining in a 70-69 win Wednesday night in Columbia, S.C., as the Gators erased a 14-point second-half deficit to eke out a road win. But playing before a sellout crowd of 11,187 at the O’Connell Center, UF (18-2, 5-2 SEC) easily moved to 10-1 at home, with nine of those wins by more than 20 points and four now by 30 points.

“We have a lot of weapons, and in this budding we obviously can get it going,” coach Todd Golden said. “When we shoot the ball to start a game like that and our defensive intensity is there, we’re not going to be beat in here.”

Martin and point guard Walter Clayton Jr. led five double-figure scorers with 17 points apiece on a combined 14-of-23 shooting as the Gators shot 52.4% from the field, hitting 10 of their first 12 shots. Richard added 16 points, while sophomore reserve forward Thomas Haugh finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double at UF.

Clayton had five steals as the Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers leading to 29 points during their most lopsided loss of 2024-25.

“We were really able to open up the game because of our defensive activity,” Goldens aid.

Clayton also had five of UF’s 19 assists and just one turnover.

“He does a good job with playing with good pace and patience,” Golden said. “He sees things other guys don’t. His floor game was fantastic.”

Georgia (14-6, 2-5 SEC) trailed 51-26 at halftime, marking the most first-half points by Florida this season other than during a 99-45 win against North Florida.

Florida extended its winning streak to 12 games during a series that began during the 1923-24 season with 45-24 Bulldogs’ win. White’s squad did not reach 45 points until a free throw by Dakota Leffew with 8:24 remaining.

The Gators now get a week off before traveling to No. 6 Tennessee, which will look to avenge a 73-43 loss Jan. 7 in Gainesville. Visits to No. 1 Auburn Feb. 8 and No. 11 Mississippi State Feb. 11 follow.

“It’s good to have a week off,” Martin said. “We have a big stretch coming up.”