Gainesville, Fla. – the No. 20 Florida Gators men’s basketball team He closed it out late Friday against the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, winning 87-74.

Once again, it was Walter Clayton Jr. who helped the Gators cross the finish line. and Alijah Martin became the starting duo. Clayton Jr. He finished the game with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Martin finished the game with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

The win also extends the Gators’ winning streak against their rivals to four consecutive years, keeping them undefeated for the season as they improve to 4-0.

Gators Backcourt Leads in First Half

This game didn’t start off the way the Gators had hoped offensively, only scoring 11 points in nearly the first eight minutes of the game.

However, things finally started to get better in the 13th minute. After taking an 11-10 lead over the Seminoles, the Gators finally started putting up points. Thanks to a 26-9 run from the Gators’ backcourt, they overcame this one-point lead and gained a 37-19 lead over their opponents with 5:38 to play.

In this series, Clayton Jr. Martin scored six points while adding nine points. These two were also assisted by a number of other Gators. Meanwhile, five other players scored baskets for the Gators.

But it wasn’t just that offensive attack that helped open this game up for the Gators, the defense did its part as well. They made life difficult for their opponents and did not compromise on truly easy looks. The result was an unproductive first half for Florida State.

Despite shooting well, especially from 3, to start this rivalry game, the Seminoles’ offense began to fall apart as the game progressed. By halftime, the Seminoles had made just 36.4 percent of their shots (12-33) and made just four of their nine free throw attempts.

In the first half, Gators’ starting guards Clayton Jr. and Martin helped set the tempo on offense. Clayton Jr. He’s already matched his season average by scoring 16 points and shooting 3-of-6 from the field. Martin entered the first half with eight points, one rebound, one assist and knocked down two of his three three-point attempts.

Seminoles scare but Gators survive

As was the case in the first half, the Gators were very slow out of the gate. They shot 2-for-8 in the first five minutes of this game and saw their 13-point halftime lead dwindle to just nine.

Then their leadership became a seesaw. From approximately the 16th minute until the 10th minute, the Gators’ lead ranged from nine to 11 points.

The Gators regained their 13-point lead and even extended it to 15, but it wouldn’t last long. Thanks to some poor turnovers and quick shooting by the Gators, the Seminoles pulled the lead back to eight in the final four minutes of the contest to keep it manageable.

But the Seminoles made it more than manageable over the next two minutes. They cut the Gators’ lead to four with 2:21 left in the game and really gave the Gators a scare.

Luckily, Florida closed out this game thanks to their backcourt duo.

With the game in limbo and the Seminoles gaining momentum, Martin made the biggest play of the game. With the shot clock expiring and the only option a tightly contested three-pointer, Martin put the dagger on goal to put the Gators up to nine points with just 1:35 left.

His running mate, Clayton Jr. He followed with five straight points to take the pressure off their backs and put the Gators ahead by 14 points. Florida State would make one more free throw before both teams stopped adding to their totals and put up the final score. It’s 87-74 in favor of the Florida Gators.

It was a nail-biter late in this game for those cheering on the orange and blue, but the Gators still prevailed and extended their winning streak against their rivals to four consecutive years.

Next Up for the Gators

Florida will now return to Gainesville for its next two games on the schedule. They kick off against Florida A&M on Tuesday at 7 p.m. This game will be televised via SEC Network+.

Then, following this game, the Gators will face Southern Illinois on Friday at 7 p.m. This game will be televised on the SEC Network.