Game Report: No. 1 Florida pulls away from the Warriors in the second half
Headlines, notes, quick takes, and more from Merrimack’s 83-54 loss to No. 1 Florida
For about 12 minutes, Merrimack went toe to toe with an SEC team and the No. 1 team in the nation. Then Florida showed why it’s the No. 1 team in the nation.
The Gators dominated the glass, the paint and the free-throw line in an 83-54 win over the Warriors on Friday night in front of 10,264 fans at Tower Hill Arena. A.J. Lesburt Jr. led Merrimack (1-3) with 16 points and four 3-pointers. Denver Anglin added 14 points, also with four 3s.
Headlines
The Warriors kept it close for a while
The Warriors kept the game within reach for most of the first half.
Lesburt’s 3 at 19:09 gave the Warriors their first lead, and Ayden Johnson’s jumper put them back in front at 5-4. Lesburt’s layup tied it 7-7 at 16:50, but Alex Condon hit two free throws on the next possession, and Florida (4-0) never trailed again.
Florida broke it open with a 9-0 run, turning a 17-13 lead into a 26-13 lead on Condon’s dunk at 8:31. Merrimack answered with two Anglin 3s and a Jacob Moore dunk and got within 30-23 with 3:46 left in the half.
Then it got away. Florida closed the half on a 13-3 run. Merrimack turned it over three times in the final 1:45, and each turnover led to a Florida fast-break dunk. The last one came from Rueben Chinyelu with two seconds left and made it 43-26 at halftime. The Warriors shot 55% in the first half and still trailed by 17.
Gators put the game to rest early in the second half
Florida opened the second half on an 18-2 run, and Merrimack didn’t make a field goal until Eli Wilborn’s layup at 11:00. By then it was 61-28. The lead peaked at 34 points, 67-33, with 9:12 left. Merrimack won the last nine minutes 21-16 behind three Lesburt 3s and two from Anglin, but by then the game was long gone.
Notebook
Florida outrebounded Merrimack 39-17, and the Warriors grabbed just three offensive rebounds. The Gators outscored them 36-16 in the paint and 14-2 on the fast break.
The 3-point line was the one place Merrimack held its own. The Warriors went 10 of 25 (40%), and 30 of their 54 points came from deep.
Merrimack has trailed at halftime in three of four games, by 22, 12 and 17. It has been outscored 150-103 in first halves this season. Florida also ended the Warriors’ run of winning every second half, taking this one 40-28.
Opponents have made 58 free throws to Merrimack’s 31, a 27-point edge at the line over four games. The Warriors are shooting 56% (31 of 55) at the line, and two attempts on Friday was a season low.
Scoring Summary
