UF open sluggishly but soon found its stride behind veteran guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin to build a solid lead before running away during a second-half surge for an 84-60 victory.

Alijah Martin scored 22 points, Walter Clayton Jr. added 19 and No. 5 Florida beat Texas 84-60 Saturday to start a new home-winning streak. Four days after having their 16-game winning streak in Gainesville snapped by Missouri,

Florida dominated in an 84-60 victory over Texas, marking the first-ever matchup between the two teams as SEC opponents and their first meeting overall since 1997.

No. 4 Florida basketball learned from a home loss against Missouri, playing with more of an edge to knock off Texas on Saturday at the O'Connell Center

The Gators shot 58% in the second half, connecting on 18 of 31 field goal attempts including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Texas was 10-for-27 from the field in the second half and 2-for-10 from 3-point range.