Florida’s dominance on the road continued in dramatic fashion as the #7 Gators stormed into hostile territory and silenced the Moody Center crowd, pulling away in the final minutes to secure an 84-71 victory over Texas. The win marked the Gators’ eighth consecutive triumph and kept them firmly in control of the SEC regular season race with just three games remaining.
Dynamic Duo Powers Florida’s Offense
Florida’s offensive attack was led by the scorching-hot duo of Alex Condon and Boogie Fland. Condon poured in 23 points on an efficient 10-for-12 shooting, while Fland added 22 points on 7-for-10 from the floor. Together, they combined to go 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, providing the firepower Florida needed to overcome a resilient Texas squad.
“I’ve found a rhythm these last few games,” said Condon, who notched his third straight 20-point performance. “My teammates are getting me the ball and trusting me to make the right plays. I didn’t feel like I forced anything tonight and just let the game come to me.”
Second-Half Surge Seals the Victory
After trailing 64-61 with just over seven minutes remaining, Florida flipped the script with a devastating 14-1 run that turned the deficit into a commanding 75-65 lead. The Gators’ defense clamped down during the stretch, holding Texas without a field goal for the final 7:27 of the game.
“We obviously challenged our guys pretty strongly at halftime about guarding your yard and doing a better job on the defensive end,” head coach Todd Golden explained. “And obviously that flipped for us. We guarded really, really well in the second half, held them to 35 percent from the field, only let them make one 3.”
The defensive improvement was stark. After struggling in the first half, Florida held Texas to just 10-for-28 shooting in the second half while recording an impressive 11 blocked shots—their most in over two years.
Historic Performances and Milestones
Beyond the team victory, several Gators achieved individual milestones. Rueben Chinyelu set a new single-season program record with his 117th offensive rebound, surpassing Dwayne Davis’s 114 from the 1988-89 season. Thomas Haugh joined the exclusive 1,000-point club as the 59th member in program history.
Urban Klavžar continued his remarkable streak, hitting two 3-pointers to extend his run of consecutive games with at least one made three to 18 games. During Florida’s current eight-game winning streak, Klavžar has shot an impressive 21-for-42 from deep.
SEC Championship Within Reach
The victory extended Florida’s SEC road winning streak to seven games—the second-longest in program history—and improved their conference record to 13-2. With a two-game lead in the SEC standings and just three games remaining, the Gators need only one more win to clinch at least a share of the regular season title.
“This is a huge win for us going down the stretch in conference play,” Golden said. “Credit to Texas. They’re an incredibly tough club. The type of team that can make a deep run in March.”
For Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC), the loss marked their second straight setback after winning five consecutive games.
As Florida (22-6) heads into the final stretch of the regular season riding an eight-game winning streak and averaging a staggering 20.5-point margin of victory during that span, the Gators are positioned not just for an SEC title, but as a dangerous team heading into March.
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