FINAL: Baylor 82, Florida 76 (exhibition)

What Happened

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sophomore guard Kayden Mingo poured in 31 points, nine of them coming in overtime, to lead Baylor to an 82-76 victory over Florida in Sunday's exhibition game at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Mingo, the transfer from Penn State, hit nine of his 15 shots from the floor, including two of four from the 3-point line, 11 of 15 at the free-throw line, grabbed eight rebounds and dished four assists. The Bears twice trailed by two early in the extra period, but scored six straight to take command, with Mingo's 3-pointer after an offensive rebound giving his team a five-point cushion with 37 seconds to go.

The game was an offensive eyesore for most of the first half, especially for the Gators, who were only marginally better after intermission; and a far cry from a team with designs on championships this season. UF finished at 34.7% shooting overall, hit just four of 29 shots from the 3-point line (13.8%) and went 22 of 35 from the free-throw line (62.9%). BU, meanwhile, shot 45.5% for the game, seven of 17 from deep (41.2) and 78.1 at the line.

Senior forward Thomas Haugh led UF with 19 points – he made two of his team's 3s – and five rebounds before fouling out late in the overtime. Fifth-year guard Denzel Aberdeen added 15 points, but went 3-for-17 from the floor and 0-for-10 from distance over 36 minutes. Backup guard Urban Klavzar, the 2026 Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year and one of the league's best long-range shooters, went 0-for-7 overall and 0-for-5 from deep. That's 3-for-20 and 0-for-15 combined from the team's top perimeter shooters.

Senior center Rueben Chinyelu had a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds. Senior forward Alex Condon had 13 points, nine boards and four assists, but missed five of his six free throws.

Both teams struggled to score in the first half, with Florida going more than seven minutes without a field goal (a 1-for-17 drought along the way) and Baylor more than eight minutes (0-for-9), with the Gators the first to awaken with a run of 12 straight points to flip a 13-8 deficit into a 20-13 lead. UF took a 28-25 lead to the locker room, despite shooting just 29% to BU's 38.

Florida led 51-47 inside nine minutes to go in regulation when Elijah Williams hit a 3, followed by two free throws from Mingo to push Baylor in front by a point. The Bears led for the next seven-plus minutes before the Gators clawed back to take a one-point lead, only to fall behind again by three twice inside a minute remaining. UF erased that deficit in the final 20 seconds when Aberdeen made one of two free throws, then -- after the Gators forced a turnover in the backcourt -- dropped in a baseline jumper with just 0.8 seconds to go to send the game into overtime.

UF senior center **Rueben Chinyelu** with a first-half dunk.

Turning Point

Baylor led by two in OT when Bears forward Evan Chatman airballed a 3-pointer that was so off the mark it went over the rim and hit the floor, where no Gator was around to grab it. Instead, freshman Dylan Mingo (12 points, 8 rebounds) beat UF to the ball, pitched it out to his older brother, who bombed a dagger 3-ball for a five-point lead inside a minute to go.

Staggering Statistic

Go to the box score, scan the Gators' shooting columns and take your pick (and throw in just three points from the bench on 1-for-14 combined attempts, compared to 33 points from Baylor's subs). Unsustainable numbers, all of 'em.

Up Next

Florida's final preseason tuneup will be an exhibition game against Stetson on Oct. 27 at the O'Connell Center. The Gators open the season five nights later, Nov. 2, against a very good Miami team in Tampa.

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

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