By Kenneth Cross
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida forward Tyrese Samuel had a career evening as he scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Gators subdued the Missouri Tigers, 83-74, in ExacTech Arena Wednesday evening.
Missouri had no answer for Samuel as he slammed two dunks in the first four minutes and scored on a retro and-one as his seven points gave Florida a quick 9-5 lead.
Samuel’s scoring was consistent throughout the game as he was 12-of-16 from the floor. He scored 14 of the Gators’ last 20 points as he patrolled the inside, the boxes, and the lane.
“Just absolutely fantastic!” exclaimed Gators head coach Todd Golden. “He was good in the first half as he had 12 points and six rebounds at halftime. I felt his motor was running really high and when his motor is running like that, he is one of the best frontcourt players in the league.”
Samuel seemed relaxed and focused on how to score in a game where Missouri, 0-15 in the SEC, challenged the Gators.
“Today, we did a really good job staying poised and came out with a ‘W,’ explained Samuel. “I think we played great down the stretch. We didn’t panic. Staying poised was the key.”
Missouri cut the Gators lead to 55-54 with just 9:36 remaining when guard Nick Honor hit three free throws. Florida guard Will Richard, who struggled from the field, then hit a three off the right baseline to push the Gators back out to a 58-54 lead.
Samuel was such a dominant force late in the game and Zyon Pullin turned out to be a complementary scorer as well.
Pullin scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as he was 6-of-11 from the floor with four three-pointers. He found ways to get open and he knocked down triples gave the Gators leads that would require a pair of possessions for Missouri to successfully convert to get even.
“It was staying together,” said Pullin. “Trying to keep making the right plays, taking what they gave us. I think that’s something this team did a pretty good job of today.”
Missouri went to a 1-3-1 zone defense numerous times to slow Florida, but Pullin and his teammates found the openings to nail the triples.
Samuel was able to get into the middle of the lane and work around the rim vs. the zone. He found Micah Handlogten for an assist which gave the Gators a 74-68 with 2:58 remaining.
“You’ve got to have some feel and some good decision-making and be a basketball player,” said Golden of Samuel’s overall play. “I thought it showed big time for him in those moments with those tight catches, tight moves in space, being able to put it in with either hand, and-one finishes,” said Golden.
The second-year Gators boss pointed out key hurdles that the Gators had to clear in the second half. A quick Mizzou run out of halftime allowed them to use a 9-2 stretch that saw Sean East, II, hit a runner on the right side of the lane to cut the score to 39-38 with 17:05 remaining.
The referees called a technical foul on Florida point guard Walter Clayton after he was called for his fourth foul. The technical foul was the fifth foul on Clayton and he had to sit for the rest of the game.
“I was proud of our guys,” said Golden. “I feel like we were gritty down the stretch. We didn’t lose confidence although we had a little trouble attacking the zone for a minute.”