STARKVILLE, Miss. – Denzel Aberdeen led all scorers with 20 points, while Walter Clayton Jr. contributed 19, guiding the No. 3 Florida Gators to an 81-68 win against No. 22 Mississippi State.

In support of Aberdeen and Clayton, Thomas Haugh scored 16 points, and both Will Richard and Rueben Chinyelu added 10 points each.

On the other hand, Josh Hubbard was the standout for Mississippi State, finishing with 19 points, while KeShawn Murphy posted an impressive double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Although trailing by a single point at halftime, Florida surged in the second half, launching a remarkable 17-0 run that allowed them to never look back.

As a team, the Gators shot 46% from the field and successfully hit 14 out of 36 attempts from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs struggled with their long-range shooting, converting only 7 of 27 attempts. Additionally, Mississippi State had 15 turnovers but managed to outrebound Florida with a count of 43 to 32.

The first half was characterized by exciting back-and-forth action, which featured seven lead changes and five ties.

**Key Points:**

For Florida, senior guard Alijah Martin continued to sit out his second consecutive game due to a hip injury, despite earlier predictions by coach Todd Golden regarding his potential return. The Gators also faced an injury as Alex Condon went down with a lower-leg issue early in the match. Condon has been a significant contributor this season, averaging 11 points and leading the team with 8.1 rebounds per game.

On the side of Mississippi State, this loss marked a disappointing record of 2-4 in SEC home games, and they have suffered double-digit defeats in their recent SEC home matchups, including a previous loss to Missouri on February 1.

**Upcoming Games:**

Looking ahead, Florida will be hosting South Carolina on Saturday, while Mississippi State is set to face off against Mississippi on the same day.