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In a rivalry as heated as the one between Florida and Georgia, there are moments that can be forever cemented when recalling the competition between the two teams.
Florida senior guard Alijah Martin earned one of those moments in the first minutes of No. 5 Florida’s 12th-straight victory against the Georgia Bulldogs, the longest win streak in program history against its cross-state rival.
Martin matched Georgia’s point total through the first five minutes and paved the way to a 89-59 victory Saturday afternoon at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida head coach Todd Golden extended his win streak against former UF coach Mike White to 6-0, improving the Gators’ record to 18-2 and 5-2 in the SEC this season.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Florida senior guard Will Richard landed a three-point shot with nine minutes left in the contest.
Before the shot went through the hoop, Richard turned around and confidently looked toward the student section.
It extended the Gators’ lead to 24 points, and Richard finished the contest with 16 points and converted four of his eight three-point attempts.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Martin stole the show in the first five minutes of the game.
The former Florida Atlantic guard nailed four-straight shots and swiped three steals. The crowd grew louder each time Martin possessed the ball and gave a raucous cheer as he exited the floor to take a quick rest.
Martin wrapped up his night with 17 points on seven made shots and four steals. He and senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. combined for nine steals during the contest.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Heading into the matchup, both teams ranked within the top-20 in defensive efficiency.
However, the main contingency between the two teams is their success on the offensive side of the court. Notably, Georgia mustered just 51, 56, 68, and 65 points in its four SEC losses.
The Bulldogs’ offense didn’t look much better against the Gators. Florida finished its first half with 51 points on 67% shooting, whereas Georgia shot below 40% and committed 14 turnovers, many of which came during sporadic moments of improvisation due to offensive inefficiency.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: Georgia freshman center Asa Newell is one of the most eye-catching talents in the 2024 class. There aren’t many moments where Newell looks like a freshman, but the Gators game-planned superbly against the freshman center.
Newell finished with eight points on 10 missed shots and was 0-5 from three. Newell shot just 30% from three heading into the matchup, and Florida allowed him to take several attempts, ruining Georgia’s offensive flow.
“We just tried to keep the ball out of his left hand when he was driving and make him finish with his right,” Gators sophomore center Alex Condon said.
WHAT A PLAY: There were several highlights during Saturday’s contest, however, the perfect encapsulation of Florida’s dominance came in the final moments of the second half.
Clayton picked off the ball and lobbed a pass to Martin, who finished at the rim.
UP NEXT: The No. 5 Florida Gators (18-2, 5-2 SEC) head to Knoxville and play the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (18-2, 4-2 SEC). The last time the two teams met, Florida took down then-No. 1 Volunteers 73-43 Jan. 7.
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