No resistance: Florida basketball defense unravels in second half again at Ole Miss
Florida basketball was not up for the challenge of its first SEC road game of the season.
The Florida Gators (10-5, 0-2 SEC) failed to answer the bell defensively in a 103-85 loss to Ole Miss at The Pavilion in Oxford, Miss.
How bad was the defense? Florida trailed 44-40 at halftime, needing a combined 25 points from guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin to stay in the game. But after allowing Ole Miss to shoot 47.4 percent from the field in the first half, Florida was unable to stop Ole Miss in transition in the second half, as the Rebels shot 75 percent from the field (21-28) over the final 20 minutes.
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"Our defensive effort tonight was atrocious, specifically in the second half," Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said.
The Gators have given up an average of 95 points in their first two SEC games. Led by a career-high 28 points from forward Jaemyn Brakefield, Ole Miss (14-1, 1-1 SEC) scored 100 points in an SEC game for the first time since beating Alabama 105-71 on March 3, 2001.
"They just got us tonight, bottom line, end of story, especially in the second half," Golden said. "We cut it to four at the end of the first half and they went 21 of 28, so it was just terrible defense but at the same time you've got to tip your cap to them for making all those shots."
Walter Clayton Jr. led Florida with 23 points, surpassing 1,000 points for his career, with Zyon Pullin adding 18 points and 4 assists.
Here are three takeaways from the Florida loss:
Florida basketball unable to stop the duo of Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Murrell
The 6-foot-8 Brakefield was too athletic inside for Florida's big men to handle, as he went 11 of 16 from the floor, 2 of 4 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the foul line. Murrell also had a big night with 23 points, going 8 of 12 from the floor and 3 of 6 from 3-point range.
Ole Miss was able to hit several open looks from 3-point range and knocked them down, going 8 of 20 (40 percent) from beyond the arc.
UF basketball was sloppy with the basketball
The Gators turned the ball over 13 times and Ole Miss made the Gators pay, scoring 24 points off the 14 turnovers. Starting forward Tyrese Samuel had 5 of the turnovers as he was at times too loose with the ball on the dribble. Ole Miss also pressed in the second half and got Florida to turn the ball over against its full-court pressure.
Ole Miss consistently denied the Florida Gators at the rim
The Rebels blocked 16 Florida shots, with 7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp recording nine of those blocks. The Gators were able to get to the line 26 times but could have gotten Sharp in foul trouble and gotten the line more with a few more head fakes inside.
"Sharp, you know, did a good job with his rim protection—nine blocks," Golden said. "But I thought we did a good job of attacking and maybe some of those could have been fouls."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida Gators basketball falls at Ole Miss Rebels
