STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Denzel Aberdeen had a game-high 20 points and Walter Clayton Jr. added 19 points to lead No. 3 Florida to an 81-68 victory over No. 22 Mississippi State.

Thomas Haugh scored 16 points for Florida (21-3, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) and Will Richard and Rueben Chinyelu each added 10.

Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State (17-7, 5-6) with 19 points while KeShawn Murphy had 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Trailing by one at halftime, Florida exploded on a 17-0 run to open the second half and were never threatened the rest of the way.

The Gators shot 46% for the game and made 14 of 36 from 3-point range.

Denzel Aberdeen scores 20, leading No. 3 Florida over No. 22 Mississippi State 81-68 | iNFOnews.ca — Florida forward Thomas Haugh (10) looks for an open shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi State, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State made 7 of 27 beyond the arc. The Bulldogs had 15 turnovers and outrebounded Florida 43-32.

The first half had seven lead changes and five ties.

Takeaways

Florida: Senior guard Alijah Martin missed his second straight game with a hip injury, despite coach Todd Golden saying Monday he was expected to return. In the opening minutes, Alex Condon suffered a lower-leg injury. Condon is averaging 11 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds a game.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs dropped to 2-4 in SEC home games and were also defeated by double digits in their last SEC home games against Missouri on Feb. 1.