Alijah Martin poured in a game-high 32 points Friday night and made eight 3-pointers, the most by a Florida player since January 2019, as the 21st-ranked Gators drilled visiting Southern Illinois 93-68 in Gainesville, Fla.
Thomas Haugh came off the bench to add 19 points for Florida (6-0), which entered the game hitting 28.9 percent of its 3-pointers and finished the night with a season-high 16 on 39 attempts (41 percent). The Gators started 3-of-14 from 3-point range, then hit 13 of their final 25 as they blew the game open.
Ali Dibba scored 17 points to pace the Salukis (2-3), while Jarrett Hensley added 14 and Kennard Davis Jr. contributed 11. Leading scorer Elijah Elliott, who came in averaging 16.5 points and shooting 55.3 percent from the field, made just 1 of 6 and managed only four points before leaving the game with 16:33 left after suffering an apparent leg injury.
The Gators never trailed, but the game was close for the first 12 minutes. Hensley’s tip-in with 8:18 left in the half drew Southern Illinois within 19-15. Florida then ambushed the visitors with a 22-2 burst over a 5:15 stretch that included seven straight points from Martin.
Martin’s 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining capped his 18-point half and gave the Gators a 46-19 cushion. They settled for a 46-25 advantage at the break.
After a brief lull to start the second half, Florida gradually expanded its cushion to 30 points when Urban Klavzar made a layup with 9:53 left for a 74-44 lead.
The Gators finished the night 46.7 percent from the field and drew assists on 25 of their 35 made baskets. Their defense held the Salukis to 34.7 percent shooting from the field and made them resort to one-on-one play for many of their buckets. SIU managed just seven assists for the game.
Florida also enjoyed sizable advantages in fastbreak points (20-6) and bench scoring (35-15), although the Salukis earned a 49-46 edge in rebounding.
–Field Level Media
