What Happened
AUSTIN, Texas – Forward Alex Condon scored a game-high 23 points and the seventh-ranked Florida Gators pitched a fence around one of the nation’s best offenses in the second half Wednesday night on the way to an 84-71 defeat of Texas at Moody Center. 

The win was UF’s eighth straight, including an eighth in a row on the road, and moved the Gators — with their two-game cushion atop the league standings with three to play — that much closer to their first SEC regular-season crown in 12 years.  

Condon went 10-for-12 from the floor, had four of the team’s season-high 11 blocks and paced a UF offense that shot 59% for the game, including 65% in the second half. The Gators also went 8-for-18 from the 3-point line to amass a fourth game over the last five making at least 36% from deep. Point guard Boogie Fland had a season-high 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting, five rebounds and two steals, while guard Xaivian Lee had 12 points and six assists.

The Longhorns came into the game with the No. 6-rated offense in the nation, but were held to 43% shooting overall, including just 36% in the second half when the Gators outscored them 48-32. UF finished the game on a 23-7 over the final seven-plus minutes. 

The Gators fell behind by eight barely nine minutes into the game, but chopped away to a short-lived one-point lead, 28-27, only toi trail 39-36 at halftime despite shooting 54% from the floor. That was because the Longhorns shot 50%, including four of eight from the 3-point line, even though they missed six of their last seven shots before the break. 

Texas led by three, 64-61, when UF went on a run of nine straight points, with Condon scoring five of them, to surge in front 70-64. After center Matas Vokietaitis hit one of two free throws, Fland scored five straight points and, after two more UT free throws, Lee bombed a late-clock 3 to initiate another run of nine straight points to put it away. 


UF guard Xaivian Lee (1) during Wednesday’s action against UT. 

Turning Point 
The start to the end-of-game blitz, when the Gators outscored the Longhorns 23-7.
 
Staggering Statistic
Texas, which did not score a field goal the last 7:27 of the game, finished with two assists. The Longhorns are incredibly talented and play a lot of one-on-one basketball, but … two assists. Credit UF’s defense.   
 
Up Next
Florida (22-6, 13-2) will host “ESPN College Game Day” Saturday morning and play No. 20-ranked Arkansas (20-7, 10-4) Saturday night in game that will have SEC title ramifications. Texas (17-11, 8-7) plays at rival Texas A&M. 

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.