No. 3 Florida got back on track in emphatic fashion Saturday night, as Will Richard knocked down six 3-pointers and scored 25 points to lead the Gators to an 89-70 win over No. 12 Texas A&M. The victory secured Florida’s 14th home win of the season and moved the Gators closer to earning a double bye in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Florida (25-4, 12-4 SEC) rebounded well from its midweek upset loss at unranked Georgia, showing resilience against a struggling Texas A&M squad that has now dropped four straight games. The Aggies (20-9, 9-7 SEC) could find themselves out of the AP Top 25 next week after another disappointing outing.
Florida trailed by six points early, but a barrage of 3-pointers helped the Gators erase the deficit and build a commanding lead. Richard was the catalyst, scoring 17 of his 25 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers after the break. His dagger triple with 4:52 remaining put the game out of reach and highlighted Florida’s dominance from deep.
The Gators finished 14 of 33 from behind the arc, nine more than Texas A&M exposing the Aggies perimeter defense and sealing a decisive victory.
Richard wasn’t the only Gator making an impact. Thomas Haugh added 17 points, while Alijah Martin chipped in 14. Florida’s depth and efficiency on offense helped neutralize an Aggies squad that struggled from deep and at the free-throw line.
Florida’s Turning Point: With roughly seven minutes remaining, Alex Condon playing through pain after having two teeth reset earlier in the week, delivered back-to-back dunks to spark a Gators surge.
Texas A&M’s Shooting Woes: The Aggies missed 10 of their final 12 three-point attempts and left nine points at the free-throw line.
Walter Clayton Jr. historic streak as the Gators guard extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with a made 3-pointer to 51, surpassing Michael Frazier II by 10 games.
Texas A&M will try to snap its losing streak when it hosts top-ranked Auburn on Tuesday, while Florida faces another tough test with a road game at No. 6 Alabama on Wednesday night.
With the SEC Tournament looming, the Gators are in prime position for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll need to keep their momentum rolling in the final stretch of the regular season.
