National Basketball Association
Florida 93, Loyola (MD) 73
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, November 6, 2023
Where: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
Officials:
# Owen Shortt, # Don Daily, # R.B. Clyburn
Attendance:
7023
By Field Level Media
Riley Kugel tallied 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting to help quick-starting Florida to a 93-73 win over visiting Loyola (Md.) Monday in the season opener for both teams in Gainesville, Fla.
Micah Handlogten, a 7-foot-1 transfer from Marshall, had 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go with six rebounds while forward Tyrese Samuel, a transfer from Seton Hall, contributed 15 points and eight rebounds.
Also making his Florida debut was freshman Alex Condon, who contributed 13 points off the bench -- six of which came on consecutive 3-pointers in the first half.
Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. added nine points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Gators, who scored the game's first 16 points.
Loyola, of the Patriot League, was led by Golden Dike, who made all five of his shots from the floor in scoring 16 points. Tyson Commander added 15 points for the Greyhounds, who went 13-20 last season.
In the opening six minutes, Florida dominated at both ends of the floor. On defense, the Gators forced the Greyhounds into five turnovers and five missed shots.
At the other end, Samuel fueled the quick start with three layups while Clayton drained a 3-pointer and Will Richard scored on a fastbreak slam.
Loyola finally broke through on a fadeaway by Commander to make it 16-2 with 6:12 elapsed in the game. The Greyhounds then followed with their best work of the night, getting 3-pointers from David Brown III and Chris Kuzemka.
When Dike scored inside with 5:46 left in the first half, it cut the deficit to 31-21. But the Greyhounds never got any closer.
Handlogten answered Dike's bucket with a put-back dunk, triggering a seven-point run as the Gators regained control.
Another 3-pointer by Brown at the halftime buzzer drew Loyola to within 42-30.
But in the second half, Florida answered with another quick start as a 3-pointer by Handlogten fueled a seven-point run for a 49-30 lead for Florida, which is coming off a 16-17 season.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Loyola (MD) |
|
Florida |
|
Golden Dike 16 |
Scoring |
Riley Kugel 23 |
|
Deon Perry 4 |
Assists |
Walter Clayton Jr 5 |
|
Golden Dike 6 |
Rebounds |
Walter Clayton Jr 8 |
|
Golden Dike 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Tyrese Samuel 5 |
|
Deon Perry 2 |
Steals |
Riley Kugel 6 |
|
Golden Dike 1 |
Blocks |
Walter Clayton Jr 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Loyola (MD)
|
73 |
45.8 |
9-26 |
10-15 |
13 |
28 |
2 |
6 |
15 |
| Florida
|
93 |
58.1 |
6-16 |
15-30 |
17 |
35 |
3 |
11 |
11 |
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