The Gators took care of business Friday night, defeating Kennesaw State 88 to 78. This game was more competitive than Florida’s season opener, but the Gators were able to pull away in the final five minutes to clinch their 2-0 start the season.
It was a historic night for Gators’ forward Colin Castleton, who set a career high in points with 33. Castleton added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks, team highs in all categories. There wasn’t anyone on the Owls with the height, length, or defensive ability to stop him. Castleton’s conditioning is something to note as he played 34 minutes tonight, 17 in each half. Castleton said during the post-game interview that he worked on his conditioning during the offseason because he knew he would need to play a lot of minutes this season.
Florida shot just 11 threes after attempting 25 in their season opener. Castleton could get anything he wanted inside, and the Gators weren’t interested in rushing shots.
Florida was sound offensively, scoring 88 points on 54.5% from the field Friday night. Gators found clutch shooting from Kowacie Reeves in the 2nd half, who connected on both of his three-point shots after halftime. Reeves finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Will Richard is quickly establishing himself as one of the better players on the team. Richard shot 6-10 from the field, scoring 15 points in the contest. Through two games Richard’s efficiency is off the charts; seeing him take a bad shot is a rare sight.
Todd Golden had to rely on senior guard Myreon Jones in the final 12 minutes of the game because Kyle Lofton fouled out after receiving a technical foul on his way back to the bench. Jones was comfortable in his role, assisting on two baskets and posting a zero in the turnover column. Lofton was putting together quite the 2nd half before fouling out. He had seven points on 3-3 shooting in just eight minutes of play.
The Gators weren’t as good defensively tonight, allowing 78 points with 42 of them coming in the paint. Kennesaw State shot 42.9% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range. Florida only forced 7 turnovers after forcing 18 against Stony Brook in the season opener. Florida allowed 11 offensive rebounds to a Kennesaw State team that lacks height.
Florida didn’t rely nearly as much on their bench tonight which scored just 13 of the teams 88 points. Alex Fudge led the Gators’ bench in scoring for the 2nd game in a row with six points in 23 minutes.
We’ve seen Todd Golden’s squad win in two different ways to start the season. Florida took care of Stony Brook through three-point shooting and stellar defense. The Gators defeated Kennesaw State via 48 points in the paint. Florida’s ability to effectively execute Todd Golden’s offensive gameplans is encouraging moving forward.
Florida is set to play Florida Atlantic on Monday Nov. 14th at 7pm in Gainesville.