NASHVILLE — Rueben Chinyelu scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as the 19th-ranked Florida men’s basketball beat No. 10 Vanderbilt 98-94 on Saturday in a Southeastern Conference showdown at Memorial Gymnasium.
Chinyelu was 5-for-5 from the field and 6-for-6 from the foul line in the second half as Florida (13-5, 4-1 SEC) overcame a one-point halftime deficit with a 54-49 scoring edge in the second half. Xaivian Lee had 20 points for the Gators on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers.
Tyler Tanner scored 20 points and Duke Miles added 15 before fouling out late in the second for Vanderbilt (16-2, 3-2), which lost its second straight game after opening the season with 16 consecutive wins to match the best start in program history. The Commodores lost 80-64 at unranked Texas on Wednesday.
The Gators dominated the Commodores on the backboards, with the reigning national champions finishing with a 40-26 rebounding edge, including 13-6 on the offensive end. The teams’ shooting was close, though, as Florida made 52% (32-of-61) from the field and Vanderbilt hit 51% (33-of-65) from the floor.
The game was close at the outset before Florida went on a 13-0 and built a 10-point lead behind 12 first-half points from 6-foot-11 center Alex Condon.
The Commodores rallied and headed into halftime with a 45-44 lead on Jalen Washington’s putback basket at the buzzer. The conversion was Vanderbilt’s only offensive rebound of the first half.
The second half was loaded with fouls as both teams committed 26 penalties in the last 20 minutes.
In one sequence, Chinyelu shot and made four straight free throws off Vanderbilt’s flagrant and common fouls. The Gators got the ball back and Thomas Haugh hit a 3-pointer, completing a seven-point possession.