FINAL: Florida 61, Mississippi State 59

WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore guard Will Richard scored 12 points, burying xx of xx 3-point attempts, forward Colin Castleton added xx points and Florida got out of Humphrey Coliseum with a Southeastern Conference road win Saturday night, a 61-59 victory that tested the Gators grit in the second half, especially on the game’s final possession. The Bulldogs fell behind by 16 in the first half, but used a 23-7 spree that bridged the two halves to make it a game and tie the score twice in the second half (at 43 and 45). But a 7-0 run by the visitors helped them work to a 10-point lead, 60-50, with four minutes to go. Back came the home team, with a 9-1 blitz, to draw within two, 61-50, with 1:28 to go. After a three straight empty possessions (two by UF, one by MSU, the Bulldogs had a chance to win the game after with 13 seconds to go, but the Gators defended a pair of shots (or the Bulldogs missed them, depending on your view), the last a short jumper in the paint by Cameron Matthews that spun the cylinder and fell out at the buzzer. Richard finished four of six from the floor and 4-for-5 from deep. Castleton hit just five of 14 shots and grabbed four rebounds. Sophomore guard Kowacie Reeves, battling through an horrific shooting slump, scored nine points in 18 minutes off the bench. Florida shot nearly 42 percent for the game and made 10 of 24 from deep, against a defense that started the day ranked ninth nationally in overall efficiency. Mississippi State, led by 12 points each from Tulo Smith (11 rebounds) and Shakeel Moore, finished at 39.3 percent (4 of 17 from 3), as the Gators held a sixth team in their seven SEC contests to under 40 percent. 

WHAT IT MEANS: So 19 games into the season, the Gators have their first Quadrant 1 victory against six losses (it was seven earlier this week, but the Oklahoma defeat has fallen to the Q-2 category). They have also won three true road games, which is one shy of the number they won all last year, and sit in a two-way with Kentucky for fifth place in the SEC standings. 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Freshman guard Riley Kugel signed with Mississippi State last year, but the former Orlando Dr. Phillips standout switched after the coaching switch there and opted to stay in state, instead. He enjoyed his pseudo-reunion with the Bulldogs, no moment more than he threw in a circus 3-pointer with a MSU defender in his jersey — from about 40 feet early in the second half. He hit…