GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida beat Florida State at its own game to snap the Seminoles’ stranglehold on the Gators in men’s basketball.
Mike White’s squad played suffocating defense and relied on balanced scoring to end a seven-game losing streak dating to 2013 in the series with a 71-55 win Sunday in the O’Connell Center. Big man Colin Castleton led the way with 15 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, six blocked shots and relentless energy.
“They out Florida State-ed Florida State,” Noles’ coach Leonard Hamilton.
A remade roster with six incoming transfers vowed to play with relentless effort this season, but were inconsistent during a 74-61 win Tuesday against Elon. The Gators (2-0) knew they’d need their best to defeat the Seminoles fresh off a 105-point showing against Penn.
FSU’s dominance included four straight double-digit wins, including an 83-71 last December overshadowed by the on-court collapse of Gators’ star Keyontae Johnson.
Johnson recovered but still cannot return to the court as doctors continue to investigate the cause of his health scare. The 22-year-old sat on the bench Sunday next to White’s staff and spent much of the game on his feet as a raucous crowd cheered on the Gators at the O’Dome.
When the final buzzer, Johnson celebrated, turned to White and the two men embraced.
A 13-0 run in just over two minutes featured five points by transfer guard Brandon McKissic gave Florida a 56-44 lead with 8:07 remaining. Defense led the way as the Gators broke open a close game featuring 12 lead changes and eight ties at the time.
“I think this can lay the foundation for the rest of the season,” forward Anthony Duruji said. “We just have to continue to build on it.”
