02/01/26 02:25:00
Printable Page
02/01 14:23 CST No. 19 Florida dominates paint, beats No. 23 Alabama 100-77
after Todd Golden's guarantee
No. 19 Florida dominates paint, beats No. 23 Alabama 100-77 after Todd Golden's
guarantee
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) --- Alex Condon scored 25 points, Thomas Haugh added 22
and No. 19 Florida handled 23rd-ranked Alabama and Charles Bediako 100-77 on
Sunday.
Florida's fifth consecutive victory in the series came a little more than a
week after Gators coach Todd Golden said "we're gonna beat 'em anyways" in
response to a judge's decision to allow Bediako to return to college.
This one was so one-sided that 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux, the world's tallest
teenager, played the final minute and scored Florida's last basket.
Boogie Fland chipped in 15 points, eight assists and a career-high eight steals
for the defending national champion Gators (16-6, 7-2 Southeastern Conference).
Fland dominated his matchup against the league's leading scorer, Labaron
Philon. Fland's eight steals matched the program record set by Clifford Lett in
1989.
Philon, who entered the game averaging 22 points, finished with 14. Aden
Holloway led the Crimson Tide (14-7, 4-4) with 19 points.
Florida's frontcourt was the difference. Condon, Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu
combined for 61 points, 29 rebounds and five blocks. The Gators outscored
Alabama 72-26 in the paint. Chinyelu finished with 14 points and 17 boards.
Bediako, a 7-footer who is suing the NCAA in an attempt to regain college
eligibility despite leaving school and entering the NBA draft, played his third
game with Alabama and first on the road. Florida's student section taunted him
with chants of "G League dropout" when he entered the game and touched the
ball. Bediako finished with six points and seven rebounds before fouling out
with 2:10 to play.
Florida used a 13-2 run late in the first half to help build a 10-point lead at
the break and turned the Top 25 matchup into a lopsided affair by scoring the
first 12 points coming out of the locker room.
The stat of the game: Alabama had 18 turnovers to Florida's two.
Up next
Alabama hosts Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
Florida gets a midweek bye before playing at Texas A&M next Saturday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up
here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball:
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
|
