WUFT | By Ethan Eibe
The Florida Gators brought an end to the Maryland Terrapins season Thursday night at the Chase Center, riding a red-hot second half to win their Sweet 16 matchup 87-71.
The Gators jumped out to an early 18-9 lead, but a trio of three-pointers from Jakobi Gillespie got the Terps back into the game. Florida also lost starter Alex Condon mid-way through the first half to a leg injury, though he did return for the second half.
Florida held just a two-point lead at the midway point. The so-called ‘crab five’ of Maryland forced the Gators into 13 turnovers, something head coach Todd Golden knew needed to change.
“Once we got there, we were able to recalibrate a little bit,” Golden said. “And the message was simple. We’ve got to keep defending. Obviously, continue to stay aggressive on the glass, but we have to do a better job taking care of the ball.”
Florida allowed just four more turnovers the rest of the game. The orange and blue went on a 12-4 run to begin the second half and never looked back.
Alijah Martin hit a pair of threes and finished with 14, one of six Gators with double-digit points.
Denzel Aberdeen got in on the party as well, and was a huge reason why Florida’s bench outscored Maryland’s 29 to 3. Aberdeen takes pride in the impact he and his teammates have had off the bench all season long.
“We kind of used our depth to our advantage,” Aberdeen said. “And we pushed the pace on defense and got out in transition. And just everybody being ready, whoever’s name is called, I think that’s what we did.”
Florida went on an 8-0 run to swell the lead to 18 in the game’s final minutes. The victory gives Florida its first Elite 8 berth since 2017. The Gators will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern Time seeking the program’s first final four since 2014.
Ethan Eibe is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.
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