Florida Men’s Basketball Tops Ole Miss to Stay Hot in SEC Play
Despite an uncharacteristically messy first half, Florida men’s basketball got the job done in Oxford.
The No. 12 Gators (21-6, 12-2 SEC) picked up its first win at The Pavilion since Jan. 16, 2016, for its seventh straight win. The 94-75 victory was Florida coach Todd Golden’s career first against Ole Miss. The Gators shot as well as they have all season from the floor, nabbing its highest point total since Feb. 1.
Florida saw five players score in double-figures, including 20-plus point performances from two forwards. Juniors Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh stole the show in the first half, posting 15 and 14 points, respectively. The former shot at an impressive 71.4% during the first 20 minutes of play.
Condon eclipsed the career 1,000-point mark in Florida’s last outing and added 24 points Saturday. Although, he is not the most recent Gators big man to come close to doing so.
Haugh came out of Saturday’s win with 20 points and nine rebounds. The Pennsylvania native had two steals and a block on the defensive end. He sits one point removed from becoming the 59th Gator to rack up at least 1,000 points in his career. The frontcourt duo combined for 27 of Florida’s 31 points in the game’s first 14 minutes.
“I think we like playing on the road a little bit better. It gets everyone juiced up. Everyone is fired up always,” Condon said. “We definitely needed to make a statement on the road and it was good to get that 20 piece.”
The Rebels’ 19-point loss marks its ninth-consecutive game on the wrong side of the scoreboard. The skid is the longest streak under third-year Ole Miss coach Chris Beard.
The Malik Dia-led Rebels last picked up a win on Jan. 17, after narrowly topping the Mississippi State Bulldogs 68-67 in basketball’s edition of the Egg Bowl. Dia, a senior forward, came out of Saturday’s loss with a team-leading 24 points.
A massive storyline coming into Florida’s 27th game of the season was how its overwhelming size would stack up against the smaller lineup of the Rebels. Ole Miss’ starting five held an average height of 6-foot-6, and got outrebounded 39-24 through 40 minutes of play.
Despite having a quiet afternoon, Gators center Rueben Chinyelu and the rest of the front line excelled down low. Chinyelu was held to a season-low three points, however, the 6-foot-10 Nigeria native made history on the glass. His sole offensive rebound matched the most in the program record books. Chinyelu’s 113 offensive boards slots him at No. 1 alongside Dwyane Davis’ feat in the 1988-89 season. Chinyelu added two assists in the win, contributing to Florida’s 26 total.
Xaivian Lee recorded 10 assists in his first double-double with the Gators. The Princeton transfer, paired with guard Boogie Fland, combined for 22 points and four 3-pointers on the afternoon.
Haugh and the rest of the Florida squad shot an eye-popping 50% from beyond the arc. Leading the charge was junior Urban Klavzar. He connected on 4 of 5 3s, boosting the Gators’ total shooting to a 57.1% clip. On the flip side were the Rebels, who shot just 13% from deep.
“I think it shows our ceiling,” Golden said of Florida’s 3-point shooting. “We try to play a certain style that gives us a high floor and allows us to play well through spans of not shooting the ball well. When we do make shots like that, we have the ability to run away from teams.”
Despite Florida tallying 19 total turnovers, three of which came in the game’s waning minutes, the Gators stayed true to its winning ways on the road.
Up Next
Florida will remain on the road and travel to Austin and take on the Longhorns (17-9, 8-5). Wednesday will be the program’s ninth meeting as the series record is deadlocked at 4-4. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2 from the Moody Center.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
