No. 5 Florida dominates Georgia and former coach 89-59 for 12th straight win in series
No. 5 Florida dominates Georgia and former coach 89-59 for 12th straight win in series
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Alijah Martin and Walter Clayton Jr. scored 17 points apiece, and No. 5 Florida dominated Georgia 89-59 on Saturday, extending the Gators’ winning streak in the series to 12.
It’s the longest streak by either team in the Southeastern Conference rivalry that began in 1923.
Will Richard chipped in 16 points and Alex Condon 14 for the Gators (18-2, 5-2), who also got a double-double off the bench from Thomas Haugh (13 points, 11 rebounds).
Georgia leading scorer and rebounder Asa Newell, a 6-foot-11 freshman from the Sunshine State, finished with eight points on 4-of-14 shooting and six boards.
Martin scored 11 of Florida’s first 16 points, capped by a layup that began an 11-0 run and turned a close game into a lopsided affair. Georgia led for just 11 seconds before getting blown out.
Georgia coach Mike White fell to 0-6 against his former team.
Takeaways
Georgia: The Bulldogs can expect their schedule to lighten up a bit from here. Six of their first seven conference games came against ranked teams, a brutal stretch that included four top-10 matchups.
Florida: Micah Handlogten, a 7-foot-1 junior who broke his left leg in the SEC Tournament title game last March, was planning to forgo a redshirt season and return to the court Saturday. But he changed his mind Friday and now plans to sit out.
Key moment
The game started to get out of hand midway through the first half when Richard hit three 3s over a three-minute span. His third one put the Gators ahead by 19.
Key stat
Clayton extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 43.
Up next
Georgia hosts South Carolina on Tuesday night.
Florida gets a few days off before playing at No. 6 Tennessee on Feb. 1.
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