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Midway through the second half, as soon as Alijah Martin cocked back his shot and let it release from his fingers, he turned his head, looking back at the crowd.
The Gators senior guard didn’t even bother looking at it. He knew it was going to land.
As he expected, his three went in. It was his seventh make from beyond the arc, and it extended Florida’s lead to 27 points.
The No. 21 Florida Gators (6-0) took a commanding lead early on and defeated the Southern Illinois Sulukis (2-3) 93-68 Friday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Gators sophomore forward Thomas Haugh got off to a bit of a slow start to begin the season. He played a larger-than-expected role from the bench during his freshman season, but with the new frontcourt transfers Sam Alexis and Rueben Chinyelu, he hasn’t been as much of a factor offensively.
This wasn’t the case Friday night.
Southern Illinois gave him plenty of space beyond the arc, and it was costly. Haugh scored 13 points in the first half and landed three of four three-point attempts. It marked the second consecutive contest in which the sophomore exceeded double-digit points.
He finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Martin was exceptional. The senior guard scored 32 points, landed 8 triples, and logged nine rebounds. For a period of time, it looked like he couldn’t miss.
He nearly tied his career high (34) and was one three away from being the first Gator since Michael Frazier in 2014 to hit nine or more threes.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Florida’s rebounding has been superb in its last three matchups. Heading into Friday, the Gators out-rebounded its opponents by 10 or more in consecutive games. The rebounding battle wasn’t quite as lopsided Friday night, and UF secured three fewer rebounds, but it was what Florida did when it secured many of its rebounds that created a sizable lead.
The Gators dished 25 assists, many of which came on transition passes. Their 16 offensive rebounds and 20 fastbreak points are a testament to how quick and physical they performed during the contest.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: Southern Illinois’ perimeter defense was lackluster throughout the contest and never improved. As mentioned, Martin landed eight threes. However, several other Gators also added.
Haugh hit three. Alexis, Urban Klavzar, Walter Clayton Jr., Denzel Aberdeen and Will Richard each added one of their own.
It looked like the Sulukis were trying to capitalize off of missed attempts by intentionally leaving Florida open beyond the arc at times, but it never really worked.
WHAT A PLAY: As the final seconds waned off the shot clock midway through the second half, Martin was forced to heave up a three-point attempt.
Unfortunately for the Sulukis, Martin was on a hot streak.
Martin pulled up from the logo, just a few feet away from the half court line, and drained the shot. The crowd erupted.
UP NEXT: The No. 21 Florida Gators (6-0) play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-1) Thursday at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando Florida. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
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