GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Hatter men's basketball could not overcome shooting woes en route to falling to Florida, 89-51, Sunday afternoon at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

"Florida played extremely well on both ends of the floor and made it difficult for us to execute," head coach Donnie Jones said "Today was another great learning experience for our to play a Power 5 team. We will learn and keep growing in this process."

Both teams started the game shooting cold with the first points made two minutes 29 seconds into the contest by the home side. The first Stetson field goal was made by Cyncier Harrison, a non-starter, at the 17:16 mark. The first half was played with a rhythm where the home team would build a couple possession advantage before the Hats would chip away and even the game up. The Gators were up three, 23-20 with 3:07 but a 10-2 run turned added eight to the deficit, 33-22, as the half came to a close.

The second half start was cold for Stetson but red-hot for the Gators, and the advantage mounted quickly, reaching 22 by the first media break, 48-26 with 15:21 left. The Hatters were unable to make the game competitive as the home team cruised to a 89-51 win.

No Hatters scored in double figures for the first time this season; the team was paced by nine points from Alec Oglesby. Aubin Gateretse scored eight points with a team-high five rebounds. There are many stats to show gulf between teams, but the most prevalent is three-point shooting where the Hatters struggled with 4-of-17, two of those makes by Oglesby, compared to 11-of-22 from Florida.

The Hats are back in the Edmunds Center in six days, Saturday, against Webber International with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF). Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.