Denzel Aberdeen Leads No. 3 Florida to 81-68 Victory Over No. 22 Mississippi State with 20 Points

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Denzel Aberdeen delivered a game-high 20 points, with Walter Clayton Jr. contributing 19 points, steering No. 3 Florida to an 81–68 victory against No. 22 Mississippi State.

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

For Mississippi State (17–7, 5–6), Josh Hubbard was the frontrunner with 19 points, and KeShawn Murphy recorded 18 points alongside 13 rebounds.

After trailing by one at halftime, Florida erupted with a 17–0 run to start the second half, maintaining control for the remainder of the game.

The Gators finished the match with a shooting percentage of 46, sinking 14 of their 36 attempts from beyond the arc.

In contrast, Mississippi State converted 7 of 27 from three-point territory, while also committing 15 turnovers despite out-rebounding Florida 43–32.

The first half featured seven lead changes and five ties.

Key Takeaways

Florida: Senior guard Alijah Martin missed his second consecutive game due to a hip injury, despite Coach Todd Golden indicating he might return on Monday. Additionally, Alex Condon sustained a lower-leg injury early in the game. Condon has been averaging 11 points and leading the team with 8.1 rebounds per game.

Mississippi State: With this loss, the Bulldogs fell to 2–4 in SEC home games and experienced another double-digit defeat in their previous SEC home game against Missouri on February 1.

Looking Ahead

Florida will host South Carolina on Saturday, while Mississippi State will travel to face Mississippi on the same day.

By Paul Jones