Gators defense leads way in extra period
Castleton scores 17 in return against Ole Miss
GAINESVILLE — Colin Castleton returned to the lineup and scored 17 points to spark Florida’s 62-57 overtime win over Mississippi on Saturday.
In overtime, Phlandrous Fleming Jr. had a couple of steals for Florida, the second one leading to a jumper by DeLand native Castleton that gave the Gators a 56-50 lead with 1:27 to go.
“I thought our defensive effort in the second half was much better,” Florida coach Mike White said. “I thought it was high level, especially late last 10 minutes of the game.”
A three-point play by the Rebels’ Luis Rodriguez made it 59-56 with 14 seconds left, but the Gators closed it out with a series of free throws by Tyree Appleby.
Florida opened the second half with an 11-1 run, taking a 32-31 lead on a pair of free throws by Castleton. Mississippi missed 12 of its first 14 shots but trailed only 40-38 at the under-8 media timeout. Florida extended its lead to six but Mississippi tied it on a jumper by
Tye Fagan with 54 seconds left, the last points of regulation.
Castleton, in his first game back since missing six games with a shoulder injury, added seven rebounds and three blocks.
“It felt great being able to just hoop,” Castleton said. “Just hooping is what I love.
So just being able to be out there with my teammates — my brothers — felt great. I was definitely tired, but that’s just what comes with it, so I’ve got to keep building that stamina up.”
Appleby and Fleming scored 10 points each for Florida (15-8, 5-5 Southeastern Conference).
Fagan led Mississippi (12-11, 3-7) with 15 points. Matthew Murrell had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and Nysier Brooks had 11 points to go with nine rebounds.
It was Mississippi’s first full game since losing freshman point guard Daeshun Ruffin to a season-ending knee injury. Ruffin, who was averaging 12.6 points and 3.4 assists, also missed eight games early in the season with a broken hand.
Florida hosts Georgia on Wednesday and plays at Kentucky on Saturday.
Mississippi hosts Alabama on Wednesday and plays at Missouri on Saturday.