FINAL: No. 10 Florida 82, Miami 68

What Happened

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Junior forward Alex Condon scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead four Florida players into double-figure scoring, as the 10th-ranked Gators defeated Miami 82-68 in the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown before a lively, UF-partisan crowd Sunday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Junior center Rueben Chinyelu posted his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Junior wing Thomas Haugh tallied 17 points and eight rebounds over a game-high 36 minutes, with backup guard Urban Klavzar throwing in a career-high 12 points in a career-best 25 minutes, including four 3-pointers on seven attempts.

UF shot 46% for the game, including nine of 29 from the 3-point line (31%), while holding UM to 33.8% and just five makes from deep.

In winning their third straight, the Gators were challenged inside by the physical Hurricanes, who hung tough in the paint and on the glass. The Canes did so throughout the game and not just after UF lost 7-1 reserve center Micah Handlogten after a blow to his head the first half and both Chinyelu and Condon fouled out with a minute of each other with less than six minutes to play. The Gators were up 18 at the time and able to close out.

Florida used a late-first half push to take a 10-point lead, 39-29, into the locker room. When Miami closed within three in the second half, Klavzar hit a timely 3. When the Canes got within four, Chinyelu scored back-to-back buckets. A 3 from Klavzar and one from Haugh, plus an old-time 3-point play, helped UF open a healthy double-digit lead that grew to as many as 18 with five minutes to go, despite the Gators being minus their three low-post players.

Miami was led by forward Malik Reneau's game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.

UF center **Rueben Chinyelu** (9) in action against UM.

Turning Point

The consecutive buckets from Chinyelu, in addition to pushing the Gators ahead by eight, really got the crowd into the game. Klavzar's 3-pointer less than three minutes later put UF ahead by 11 and the margin never fell beneath double digits.

Staggering Statistic

The Gators, who trailed for only 1:55 early in the first period, won comfortably despite their starting backcourt of transfers Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee combining for 13 points on 3-for-17 shooting, 0-for-10 from distance, six assists and five turnovers. Fland had eight points. Lee had five points and missed all six of his 3s, but had four rebounds and team-highs of five assists and three steals.

Up Next

Florida (3-1) will be back home Friday night against Merrimack (1-3), with all fans at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center receiving replica national-championship rings. The Warriors, out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, have played one power conference team thus far, losing by 48 at Auburn. They have a game Wednesday night at home against Maine.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.

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