Behind its defense and Thomas Haugh’s 22 points, No. 17 Florida cruised to an 86-67 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday night at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.
The Gators (17-6, 8-2 Southeastern Conference) are now in sole possession of first place in the SEC. Haugh scored 21 of his 22 points in the second half. Four more players finished in double figures for Florida, including Isaiah Brown with 12, Urban Klavzar with 11, and Xaivian Lee and Rueben Chinyelu both with 10. Chinyelu also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
A&M (17-6, 7-3), which entered the game boasting the third-best offense in the country averaging 92.0 points per game, had a forgettable night being held to less than 70 points for just the second time this season.
The Aggies endured a first-half stretch in which they missed 23 straight field goal attempts. They went on to shoot 30.6% from the field for the game.
In the first half, Florida jumped in front as A&M opened 1-of-27 from the field. The Gators were ahead 13-3 when Zach Clemence made a layup for the Aggies’ second bucket at the 7:44 mark.
Florida led 30-19 at half, shooting 41.4% from the field compared to A&M’s 17.1%. Still, it was closer than expected given A&M’s offensive struggles.
But the Gators pulled away early in the second half, going on a 10-2 run to build a 42-23 lead, capped with a fast-break dunk by Brown with 16:50 left. Shortly after, they had another 10-0 spurt, taking a 52-24 lead on a couple of free throws by Brown with 14:32 left.
The 28-point lead was the largest Florida enjoyed all night.
A&M’s leading scorers were Pop Isaacs and Marcus Hill, who both finished with 17 points. The Aggies dropped to 12-2 at home and have lost consecutive games for the first time since November.
Both teams return to action Wednesday as Florida travels to Georgia and A&M hosts Missouri.
