Colin Castleton flirted with a rare variation of a triple-double finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks to help Florida secure a 72-63 comeback win over visiting Ole Miss in a Southeastern Conference game on Tuesday night in Gainesville, Fla.
The Gators (6-3, 3-2 SEC), who were without guard Scottie Lewis due to health and safety protocols, finished the game on a 14-0 run as the Rebels (6-5, 1-3) missed their final eight shots from the field.
Florida avoided losing its third consecutive game while Ole Miss dropped its fourth in its past five games and its fifth in its past seven.
Noah Locke's three-pointer gave the Gators a 64-63 lead with 2:37 left and finished a fast break that started when Castleton recorded his seventh block on a driving Devontae Shuler near the rim.
Shuler led Ole Miss with 19 points and three assists on 7-for-14 shooting.
But the Gators attacked the basket effectively throughout the game and shot 22-for-26 from the free-throw line. Florida earned 11 more free throws than Ole Miss, which shot 11-for-15 from the foul line.
Castleton went 6-for-12 from the field and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line, and was one of three Gators starters who scored in double figures. Locke finished with 15 points and four assists and shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Tre Mann finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Both teams came in averaging over 14 turnovers per game, but did a better job protecting the basketball as the Gators finished with 10 turnovers and the Rebels had eight.
The Rebels got better performances from Shuler, KJ Buffen and Romello White off the bench than the combined 2-for-13 shooting output the trio had in their previous loss against LSU.
White finished with 10 points as Ole Miss' bench outscored Florida's reserves 28-11. But White fouled out with 49.9 seconds remaining. Buffen had eight points and five rebounds.
--Field Level Media
Mississippi | Florida | |
Devontae Shuler 19 | Scoring | Colin Castleton 21 |
Devontae Shuler 3 | Assists | Colin Castleton 3 |
KJ Buffen 5 | Rebounds | Colin Castleton 10 |
Romello White 6 | Free Throws Made | Colin Castleton 9 |
Luis Rodriguez 2 | Steals | Tre Mann 3 |
Robert Allen 1 | Blocks | Colin Castleton 8 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Mississippi | 63 | 38.3 | 6-14 | 11-15 | 8 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
Florida | 72 | 43.1 | 6-14 | 22-26 | 9 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 10 |