Florida sophomore forward Alex Condon grew up playing Australian football and even described it as his “hidden talent.” Despite his rugby skills perhaps being a secret to college basketball fans, his basketball abilities were put on full display Wednesday night.
Many media outlets claimed it was a “must-win” for UF if it hoped to keep its chances at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament alive.
With under five minutes remaining in regulation, Condon took flight and soared through the air before catching a lob from senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. He ferociously threw it down, giving the Gators a double-digit lead and paving the way for a massive resume-boosting victory.
In its final road matchup of the regular season, No. 5 Florida (26-4, 13-4 SEC) defeated No. 7 Alabama (23-7, 12-5) 99-94 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Condon was sensational in 30 minutes of action. The Perth, Australia, native scored a career-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and made two 3-pointers. He also grabbed 10 rebounds en route to a double-double.
Clayton Jr. followed with 22 points while dishing out eight assists and snagging five boards. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh and senior guard Alijah Martin rounded out UF’s double-digit scorers with 12 and 10, respectively.
It was nothing short of a back-and-forth affair in the first half. Condon and Clayton Jr. wasted no time making their presence felt offensively, scoring the first five points for the Gators.
Out of the first media timeout, Florida managed to maintain its early 5-4 lead. It did so behind a 2-point jumper by Clayton Jr. and a solid finish underneath by junior center Micah Handlogten that pushed UF ahead 15-8 with 14:39 remaining in the first half.
However, just as the Gators seemingly threw the first punch, the Tide threw one back. Bama answered with an 11-0 run (its largest of the game) capped off with a dunk by graduate student forward Grant Nelson that put the Crimson Tide ahead 19-15 with under 12 minutes left in the half.
Florida fought its way back ahead with an offensive surge of its own. A 9-2 run with six points coming down low from UF sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu gave the Gators breathing room while holding on to a 27-23 advantage.
Both sides traded blows in the final minutes of the opening period. Alabama ripped off eight straight points, and Florida scored nine unanswered. Nevertheless, the Gators trailed by four with one minute left in the first half. Then, Clayton Jr. finished a layup and Martin made a 3-pointer to narrowly send UF into halftime with a 41-40 lead.
The Crimson Tide wasted no time regaining the advantage on the scoreboard to open the second half. Freshman guard Labaron Phillon knocked down a 2-point jumper and followed with a deep ball that gave Alabama a one-point lead less than two minutes out of the break.
Florida didn’t lead by more than four points for the first six-plus minutes of the second half. However, Clayton Jr. calmly stepped to the charity stripe with thousands of Crimson Tide fans erupting in the crowd and calmly made a free throw to finish off a 3-point play and put UF ahead 60-55 with 13:21 left in regulation.
From there, the Gators never trailed. Florida’s lead grew as large as 14 with just under six minutes remaining behind a pair of big time alley-oops from Condon and a transition layup by Clayton Jr. The Tide cut it to four points with 20 seconds left, though its late surge proved to be too little, too late.
Alabama graduate student guard Mark Sears was remarkable. He scored a game-high 30 points and despite Florida notching the victory, the Gators had a difficult time slowing Sears down. However, UF’s ability to dominate the glass en route to out-rebounding the Tide 50-35 was a pivotal part of its victory.
It was a high-flying offensive outing for the Gators. Florida shot 35 of 72 from the field (49%) and 8 of 27 from distance (30%). Moreover, it wasn’t just UF’s ability to rebound that separated itself from the Tide. The Gators scored 19 second-chance points to Bama’s 10.
Next, it will be senior night for Florida. UF will play host to Ole Miss for its final regular season game at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a senior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose to further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
