Urban Renewal: Klavzar, Aberdeen Find Their Shot as No. 1 Gators Put Away Stetson

By GatorBait Media Staff

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The ball went in this time.

Nine days after a 4-for-29 night from 3-point range in an exhibition loss to Baylor in Jacksonville, top-ranked Florida found its stroke Tuesday in an 85-68 exhibition win over Stetson at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, with Urban Klavzar and Denzel Aberdeen combining for 46 points and 10 3-pointers.

That pair went 0-for-15 from deep against Baylor. Against the Hatters, Klavzar hit 6 of 12 from the arc and Aberdeen 4 of 5.

"Me and Urb were not going to miss that way again," Aberdeen said. "We were going to step up and hit shots, but it also had to translate to the defensive end. Do that, we'll be fine."

Klavzar, making his first start as a Gator with Boogie Fland out because of illness, finished with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Aberdeen added 22 on 9-of-12, plus four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Denzel Aberdeen, who hit 4 of 5 from three, brings the ball up against the Hatters. Photo by Chris Spears/GatorBait Media.

"We've been working so hard since the summer," Klavzar said. "It was nice to see the ball go in."

Florida shot 50.8% overall and 11 of 27 from three. The rest of the night was the problem.

Stetson, picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic Sun Conference, trailed just 42-40 at halftime, grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, scored 28 points in the paint and lost the glass only 40-36. Alex Doyle buried 6 of 9 threes for 18 points off the Hatters' bench, and Thiago Sucatzky added 18 points and six assists.

The turning point came early in the second half, when a 7-0 Florida burst, five of the points from Thomas Haugh in transition, pushed the lead to 11. Stetson got back within five with 11 minutes left and within seven inside four minutes before the Gators scored the final 10 points.

Thomas Haugh finishes at the rim. Haugh had five points in the 7-0 run that opened the second half. Photo by Chris Spears/GatorBait Media.

Alex Condon filled the sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Haugh had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Rueben Chinyelu added six points and eight boards.

The bench was another story. Stetson's reserves outscored Florida's 28-4, one game after Baylor's backups won that matchup 33-3.

"Clearly, I don't think our bench is anywhere near good enough," Todd Golden said.

The practice games are over. Florida opens the regular season Monday, Nov. 2, against No. 14 Miami in the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic in Tampa, with a 6 p.m. tip on ESPN2. The Hurricanes won 26 games a year ago and return a strong core.

"We're worried about next Monday, that game," Golden said. "A lot."

Editor's note: More to come, including Chris Spears' courtside Three Things.

Cover photo: Urban Klavzar drives against Stetson on Tuesday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Photo by Chris Spears/GatorBait Media.