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Colin Castleton breaks hand, Florida beats Ole Miss 79-64

LEXINGTON, KY - FEBRUARY 04: Colin Castleton #12 of the Florida Gators makes a move to the basket against Oscar Tshiebwe #34 of the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on February 4, 2023 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) (Michael Hickey (Custom credit, 2023 Michael Hickey)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Myreon Jones scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and short-handed Florida beat Mississippi 79-64 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Florida’s leading scorer, Colin Castleton, broke his right hand with 15:05 left in the second half and likely will miss the rest of the season. Castleton had been averaging 24.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over his last four games.

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Castleton's teammates responded by shooting 59% from the field, including 10 of 17 from 3-point range. Will Richard put Florida ahead by double digits for good with 11:54 left at the start of an 8-0 run for a 62-46 lead.

Richard and Kowacie Reeves each had 13 points for Florida (14-12, 7-6 SEC). Reeves scored in double figures for the second straight game after a four-game stretch with 13 combined points. Jones had been struggling with his shot, going scoreless in his last two games and averaging just three points on 5-of-20 shooting over his last four games.

Florida made its final nine shots of the first half and led 39-29 at the break after shooting 67%, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Mississippi made just one of its last nine shots before halftime.

Matthew Murrell scored 15 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 14 for Mississippi (10-16, 2-11).

Florida plays at Arkansas on Saturday while Ole Miss hosts Mississippi State.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25