Walter Clayton Jr. stats tonight: How did the Florida star fare vs Texas Tech in March Madness Elite Eight? (Mar. 29)

Walter Clayton Jr. and the top-seeded Florida Gators advanced to the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Saturday. They defeated the third-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders 84-79 in their Elite Eight clash at Chase Center. Clayton was one of three players to score in double figures for the Gators, who reached the Final Four for the first time since 2014.

Clayton led Florida to victory, scoring a game-high 30 points. He shot 7-for-14 from the field, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc. He made a living at the charity stripe, going 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. Clayton also had four assists, two rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes of action.

It was just the second time this season that Clayton has scored at least 30 points in a game. He previously reached that mark in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats on Jan. 4 when he scored 33 points in Florida's 106-100 loss.

Here are Walter Clayton Jr.'s stats from the game against Texas Tech:

Player	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	ORB-DRB	STL	BLK	PF	TO
Walter Clayton Jr.	35	30	2	4	7-14	3-8	13-14	0-2	0	2	2	1

Walter Clayton Jr. gets offensive help from Thomas Haugh and Alijah Martin in win over Texas Tech

The victory didn't come easy for the Florida Gators, who found themselves trailing the Texas Tech Red Raiders by nine points with less than three minutes left in the contest. Thomas Haugh gave Florida life, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Texas Tech's lead to 75-72 with 2:27 remaining.

Walter Clayton Jr. (#1) of the Florida Gators drives the ball against Darrion Williams (#5) of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half in the West Regional Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Chase Center on March 29, 2025. Photo: Getty

Walter Clayton Jr. added another 3-pointer with 1:47 left to tie the score at 75-all, sending the Florida fans into a frenzy. Texas Tech regained the advantage after a basket from Darrion Williams but that didn't last long as Clayton buried a fadeaway 3-pointer with 59 seconds left to give Florida a 78-77 lead.

Alijah Martin and Clayton each sank a pair of free throws to extend the Gators' lead to five points with 10 seconds left. Will Richard sealed the win for Florida after going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in the closing stages of the game.

Haugh stepped up for coach Todd Golden, finishing the contest with 20 points off the bench. He shot 6-for-11 from the field, including 4-of-6 from the 3-point area. He also grabbed 11 rebounds to record his fourth double-double of the season. Martin added 10 points and seven boards for the Gators.