Florida Avoids Upset Scare, Edges Out East Carolina 70-65

The East Carolina Pirates gave the Florida Gators all they could handle Thursday night in the Visit Central Florida Tip-Off matchup in Lakeland, Fla., taking an SEC opponent to the wire for the second consecutive game.

However, on the week he welcomed his first child into the world, Walter Clayton Jr. proved to be the difference maker.

The nearby Lake Wales, Fla., native led the Gators to a closely contested 70-65 victory over a game Pirates team, posting 22 points on 9-for-16 from the floor in his homecoming. 

His showing allowed UF to overcome another lackluster night from the free throw line, connecting on just 15 of their 28 attempts to down the American Athletic Conference opponent. 

Clayton's production started early as he kickstarted the team's scoring effort with 12 of the team's first 16 points.

Finding success both off the dribble and as an off-ball scorer, Clayton knocked down shots inside and beyond the arc to post 20 first-half points in front of his hometown crowd.

His effort enabled Florida to claim a seven-point lead heading into the halftime break, 37-30.

Although several opportunities were provided for Florida to pull away in the second half, the Gators struggled to sustain offensive production against the pesky East Carolina defense.

Florida scored just 10 points in the first eight and a half minutes of action in the period, shooting 30% from the floor with four free throws to supplement the poor production.

The sluggish first ten minutes were largely impacted by the uber-active man-to-man Pirates defense, derived from the nation's third-ranked defensive attack per Kenpom operated by Rick Barnes at Tennessee.

However, moving into the bonus early in the half, the Gators flashed signs of them finding a groove after seeing a few shots tickle the twine from the charity stripe.

The momentum swung considerably with nearly eight minutes remaining. UF guard Zyon Pullin's missed three kicked off the front of the rim, allowing guard RJ Felton to grab the long rebound and outlet it in transition to Cam Hayes.

Pullin ran step-for-step with Hayes, contesting his shot on the other end to force a missed layup. Guard Riley Kugel pulled down the board and pushed the ball back to Florida's end of the court. As Pullin returned to his feet and into the play, Kugel dished it to the veteran backcourt talent on the wing.

He took it to the basket, finishing on the left side to swell the Gators advantage back to eight over ECU.

The sequence was a microcosm of Pullin's impact in the second half as the sputtering Florida squad yearned for a player to step up. He found opportune success scoring, facilitating and on the defensive end to will the Gators to the hard-fought win. 

Pullin finished with a critical 11 points and four assists to complement Clayton's efforts in willing his unit to walk away victorious.

The Pirates weathered the storm to pull with one of the Gators with 3:22 remaining, 62-61. Florida's near-4:30 scoring slump opened the door for ECU to make the surge.

The two programs went back and forth from that point, although the Pirates never found a way to claim the lead.

As the clock winded under 1:20, head coach Todd Golden called a timeout to draw up an offensive set with a two-point lead.

He used Pullin as the primary ball handler up top, moving from right to left with Clayton working opposite him as he penetrated the lane. Pullin kicked it back out before he reached the extended elbow.

It set Clayton up with an open look from the top of the key. He missed, but UF's rebounding prowess — outrebounding ECU by 20 — again paid dividends for Golden's squad.

Gators center Tyrese Samuel grabbed the team's 21st offensive board off Clayton's miss. He rose above the Pirates' defense to produce an exclamation point slam. 

It sealed the deal on Florida's third-straight victory, triumphing 70-65 over East Carolina. 

The Gators will move on from the near-upset showing in Lakeland to take on the Michigan Wolverines in Charlotte, N.C., in the Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday.