Colin Castleton’s 12 points and 11 rebounds helped the Florida Gators secure a 66-55 victory over the South Florida Bulls on Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla.
Castleton recorded his fifth double-double of the season as the Gators (8-3) bounced back from a tough loss to Maryland following a five-day break.
South Florida (4-5) fell for the third time in its past four games despite a strong effort from Caleb Murphy, who finished with 16 points and five assists.
After falling behind 10-3 over the first six minutes, the Gators outscored the Bulls 30-8 over the next 14-plus minutes and never trailed again.
South Florida cut the deficit to 48-45 with nine minutes left on Javon Greene’s 3-pointer, but Myreon Jones and Castleton sparked a 9-1 surge that stretched the Gators’ lead back to double digits.
Greene finished with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists for USF.
Florida committed 11 first-half turnovers but limited the giveaways in the second half to six, which led to much better offensive efficiency.
Phlandrous Fleming Jr. also had 12 points off Florida’s bench, and Anthony Duruji just missed a double-double as he finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Bulls, who had not played the Gators since 2002, lost for the third time in the Orange Bowl Classic and were outrebounded 45-27. This led to 14 second-chance points for the Gators, who went 12 for 15 from the free-throw line.
Neither team shot well from 3-point range, but South Florida struggled more, going 2 for 11. The Gators went 8 for 26.
For the Gators, Brandon McKissic got hurt on a driving layup attempt with 6:56 left in the second half when he fell to the deck hard and hit the padded area under the basket. He did not return to the game.
–Field Level Media