Denzel Aberdeen scored 20 points to lead five scorers in double figures on Tuesday night as No. 3 Florida came away with an 81-68 win over No. 22 Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.

Walter Clayton Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Gators (21-3, 8-3 Southeastern Conference), while Thomas Haugh came off the bench for 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Will Richard and Rueben Chinyelu each added 10 points.

Josh Hubbard scored 19 points and dished out six assists for the Bulldogs (17-7, 5-6), while reserve KeShawn Murphy added 18 points and 13 boards. Mississippi State struggled from the floor, making only 24 of 58 field-goal attempts (41.4 percent).

Meanwhile, Florida recovered from some first-half struggles to shoot 45.9 percent from the field (28-for-61), making 14 of 36 3-point tries. The Gators were also careful with the ball, committing just eight turnovers.

Florida chomped down on Mississippi State to start the second half, scoring the first 17 points of the period. Aberdeen started the outburst with a 3-pointer and ended it with a dunk in transition for a 50-34 advantage with 15:10 left.

Later in the second half, the Gators’ lead reached 24 on two occasions. The Bulldogs used a late run to make the final score more respectable.

The main storyline prior to tipoff focused on Florida and whether it could follow up its second victory over a top-ranked team this season with another win — it spanked No. 1 Auburn 90-81 on Saturday.

Mississippi State owned the boards throughout the first half, using that advantage to get extra shots to make up for the Gators’ superior 3-point shooting.

Shawn Jones Jr. converted a fastbreak layup in the last minute of the first half to give the Bulldogs a 34-33 edge at the break.

–Field Level Media