Scottie Wilbekin failed to establish a rhythm for much of Florida’s nonconference finale, but it was his play late in the second half that finally provided a necessary spark for the team.
Wilbekin’s pump fake and floater near the lane awoke a previously dormant crowd and helped the No. 12 Gators escape with a 67-58 victory over Richmond on Saturday.
“With him being a leader on this team, he has to lead by example,” guard Michael Frazier II said. “We saw him struggling, and he picked himself up and got us going in the second half. That was good for him and good for us.”
Wilbekin, Florida’s senior point guard, suffered through a miserable first half in which he made just 1 of 9 shots and was clearly frustrated with what he believed to be several missed foul calls. He slammed his hand on the floor. He looked to the ceiling in disbelief. Then he recovered and helped UF fight off the upset attempt.
Richmond (10-5) led 48-47 with 5:58 remaining in the second half after Wilbekin’s shot fell in the basket. The floater began a 16-2 run that helped the Gators survive nine 3-pointers by the Spiders and a horrific first-half offensive performance that led coach Billy Donovan to challenge his team — specifically Wilbekin.
“I was really, really disappointed,” Donovan said. “All of a sudden our offense and what we were doing just stopped. We became a one-on-one team. We just started driving the basketball with no purpose and no awareness of what we were doing.”
Donovan’s team responded following his impassioned speech.
Frazier hit three huge 3-pointers after halftime and finished with a team-best 18 points in a game that featured 12 lead changes. Patric Young added 15 points and combined with Dorian Finney-Smith, who grabbed 13 rebounds, to help the Gators outscore Richmond 38-20 in the paint.
Leading 61-50 with 1:28 to play, the Gators withstood going just 2-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch with increased defensive intensity. UF forced Richmond into several rushed shots and gobbled up the ensuing rebounds.
With the win, the Gators finish a difficult nonconference slate with an 11-2 record. Florida opens SEC play against visiting South Carolina on Wednesday.
“We’ve been improving every game,” Young said. “This game, we probably could have been a little more focused on scouting and whatnot, but overall going 11-2 in nonconference games is pretty good and we’ve got momentum going into conference play.”
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