Balanced scoring lifts Florida basketball to first road win of season at Mizzou

Tyrese Samuel led five scorers in double figures with 17 points as Florida basketball picked up its first road win of the season, beating Missouri 79-67 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

The Florida Gators (12-6, 2-3 SEC) improved to 1-3 on the road and withstood a career-high 36 points from Missouri guard Tamar Bates with a balanced effort. Walter Clayton Jr. added 15 points, Will Richard scored 13 points, Zyon Pullin had 11 points and Micah Handlogten posted his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 points.

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Florida led 37-34 at the half and broke things open with a 15-5 run midway through the second half, going up 65-52 on a pair of Clayton Jr. free throws.

"To come in here on the road and control the game like we did, especially in the second half and end up winning by double figures, was a really big growth moment for our group," Florida coach Todd Golden said.

Defensively, Florida held an opponent under 80 points on the road for the first time this season. Despite the big night from Bates, who went 13 of 21 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line, Florida held Missouri (8-10, 0-5 SEC) to just 43.4 percent from the field.

Here are three takeaways from the Florida win:

Florida basketball dominates on the glass, in the paint

Florida out-rebounded Missouri 40-27 and outscored the Tigers 13-2 in second chance points. The Gators also worked the ball inside to Samuel and Handlogten throughout the game, outscoring Missouri 24-18 on points in the paint. Handlogten and Samuel went a combined 10 of 16 from the floor, gaining inside position for dunks and high percentage shots.

"We preached about it all this week during practice that we’ve got to come out and be the more physical team," Handlogten said. "We know that on the road it’s more difficult because you’ve got the crowd going against you. We knew that we could come out here and play with more physicality, so we used that to our advantage tonight.”

UF basketball also excels shooting from and guarding the 3-point line

Florida shot 40.9 percent (9-22) from 3-point range while holding Missouri to just 18.8 percent (3-18) from beyond the arc.

UF made 5 of its first 7 three-point attempts and went 5 for 9 from 3-point range in the first half to build a 37-34 halftime lead. Florida also sank some timely 3-point shots at the end of the shot clock, including one from freshman Alex Condon at the end of the first half and another on a step-back 3 from sophomore guard Riley Kugel in the second half, a big shot which put Florida up 63-52 with 7:36 left.

Florida Gators stay composed against Missouri's switching defenses

Missouri coach Dennis Gates tried to slow Florida in the second half by mixing up defenses, throwing a match-up zone and full court press at the Gators. But Florida maintained its poise, turning the ball over just 8 times while continuing to hunt for quality shots. Florida scored 11 points off turnovers in the game, compared to 10 for Missouri.

"We felt like we’d have a really good shot if we took care of it – our goal was 12 turnovers or less," Golden said. "So, to come out with eight was a key factor in getting this win tonight.”