LSU slows the pace, but Florida Gators still grind out a 79-61 win
- Franz Beard
- Jan 21
- 6 min read
Tommy Haugh and Alex Condon couldn’t buy a basket Tuesday night at the O-Dome. Normally good for 32 points between them, they were held to a combined 17 points on 5-20 shooting by an aggressive LSU defensive scheme designed to neutralize them. Nearly every shot they took was contested and on those rare occasions when they were open, way too many shots defied gravity and wouldn’t go all the way down.
Fortunately for 16th-ranked Florida (14-5, 5-1 SEC), the Gators can withstand the kind of nights when key players can’t find the ocean while standing on the end of the pier.
“It’s how we’re built, where the goal is to not have to rely on good shooting to win,” Florida coach Todd Golden said after the Gators scored a grind it out, 79-61, win over LSU (13-6, 1-5 SEC) before a sellout crowd of 10,593 at the O-Dome. “And I know that sounds kind of funny, but you said they were, what, five for 20 combined. We were 14 for 27 from the line also, so we left a lot of points on the board that way. So we should have won by 25 … I don't know, but again, the formula works, and it's a good feeling to know that we have to such a high floor.”
With consistent shooting at a premium, this game was decided by rebounding and defense. Led by Rueben Chinyelu, who pulled down 15 of his 21 rebounds in the second half, the Gators outrebounded LSU, 50-30. The Gators snagged 24 offensive rebounds which were converted to 21 points. Chinyelu had more offensive rebounds (11) than the entire LSU team (7).
Defensively, the Gators focused their defense on limiting LSU to one-and-done possessions while at the same time running leading scorer Max Mackinnon off the 3-point line. Dogged by both Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavzar, Mackinnon only squeezed off one three.
“He's been averaging four made threes a game,” Golden pointed out.
This was grind it out basketball. This was Florida’s fifth straight win and unlike the last four, the offense wasn’t clicking on all cylinders. The Gators missed shots they normally make. At times they found it difficult to get a clean shot off against LSU’s aggressive, physical defense.
It was anything but pretty, but over the course of an 18-game Southeastern Conference schedule there will be nights when points must be manufactured on one end of the court and stops put together on the other. The Gators did that.
In the final 2:10 of the first half, the Gators used defense and rebounding for a 10-3 mini-run led to a 38-26 cushion. Isaiah Brown hit a fast break 3-pointer that was begun by a Chinyelu rebound. Haugh scored on a second-chance jumper that put UF ahead by more than 10 for the first time at 34-23 with 1:00 to go. A steal by Chinyelu led to a fast break where Haugh was fouled. He hit 1-2 from the line, then at the buzzer nailed a deep three for the halftime margin.
The entire complexion of the game changed in the second half. In addition to dominating the backboards, Chinyelu scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. Klavzar heated up from the 3-point line. His 18 points led the Gators in scoring with 14 in the final 20 minutes on 4-6 shooting from the 3-point line to go with an up-and-under layup through traffic.
There was newfound intensity in the defense.
"It's a 40 minute game,” Fland said. “First 20 minutes we felt like we played okay. Second half we wanted to come out with some intensity, pressure them, get on them and I feel like we did that and it led to points in the fast break, just playing with intensity and pace.”
In the first minute-and-a-half of the second half, Florida’s intensity was immediately evident. Chinyelu scored on a power move and was fouled on another power move on Florida’s next possession. He drained the free throws and a few seconds later, Fland got a steal and a run-out dunk that made it 44-28 with 18:38 to go in the game. LSU never got closer than 11 after that.
With Haugh and Condon having an off night, Chinyelu and Klavzar picked up the second half slack. Chinyelu scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half while Klavzar heated up from the 3-point line. Of his game-high 18 points, 14 came in the second half on 4-6 shooting from the 3-point line and an up-and-under layup through traffic.
For the second straight game, the Gators had what amounted to a 7-point play. It started with a hook-and-hold foul with 8:46 left that sent Chinyelu to the foul line where he made his first free throw. The second free throw drew only iron but it went out of bounds off the Tigers. On the inbounds pass from Fland, Klavzar was fouled as he nailed a three in front of the Florida bench. He missed the free throw, but Chinyelu rebounded and was mugged sticking the missed shot back in the basket. At the line, Chinyelu made the free throw for a 66-42 Florida lead.
Just like that seven points and it all happened with just four ticks off the clock.
“It’s a Gator thing,” explained Chinyelu when reminded that he was part of a 7-point play back on Saturday at Vanderbilt.
This win wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty, but it was the kind of win the Gators needed. The four previous games were won in racehorse style. This one required more contribution from the bench when starters had their issues. The bench gave the Gators 30 points (Klavzar 18, Brown 8, Micah Handlogten 4), 16 rebounds (Handlogten 8, Brown 5, Klavzar 3) and four assists.
"It just shows the depth we’ve got,” Fland said. “It shows the competitiveness we’ve got. It shows we don't have to play our best basketball to still have a 20-point (win), so imagine if we do play our best basketball, what that looks like. We still haven't hit our peak yet, we still have more room to grow, got more things to do. Imagine if we hit more shots. The ceiling's high for us, I'll say that much and we're just gonna keep getting better."
It says plenty when a team wins by 18 without playing with peak efficiency. Golden called it a systematic win. He would certainly prefer a game in which the shots fell with more consistency but shooting is only part of the Florida equation for winning basketball.
“You know, obviously could have been prettier, could have shot the ball better from the line, but we defended, we rebounded and we took care of the basketball, and those are the three things that we talk about and stress all the time,” Golden said.
It all added up to a fifth straight win in which the Gators have asserted themselves as the best team in the Southeastern Conference. Not every game is going to be a masterpiece, but Golden’s formula of winning with defense and rebounding resonates.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, and in an SEC where 10 teams are projected by Joe Lunardi to make the NCAA Tournament field, any win no matter how ugly is a beautiful thing.
Game notes: Klavzar (18), Chinyelu (15), Fland (10) and Condon (10) led the Gators in scoring … Fland also had one rebound, four assists and two steals. Lee had seven points, one rebounds, three assists and two steals … For the second straight game the Gators hit nine 3-pointers … For the fifth straight game, the Gators did an exceptional job running opponents off the 3-point line. LSU managed only 3-11 on 3-pointers.
ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC
No. 20 Arkansas (14-5, 4-2 SEC) 93, No. 15 Vanderbilt (16-3, 3-3 SEC) 68: Vanderbilt continued its backslide, dropping its third straight game at Arkansas. The Commodores had no answer for Arkansas shooters, who hit 58 percent overall and 41 percent from the 3-point line. Six Razorbacks scored in double figures, led by Darius Acuff Jr.’s 17 and 16 each by Karter Knox and Malique Ewin. Tyler Nickel, who hit five threes in the first half, didn’t make any in the second. He finished with 17 to lead Arkansas.
No. 21 Georgia (16-3, 4-2 SEC) 74, Missouri (13-6, 3-3 SEC) 72: Smurf Millender made a driving shot and then the free throw with 5.5 seconds left to lead Georgia to a road win over Missouri. Georgia came into the game third nationally in scoring, but neither the Bulldogs nor the Tigers could make shots with any consistency. Georgia hit 8-29 from three while Mizzou hit 7-25. Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 14 to lead Georgia while Missouri was led by Mark Mitchell with 18.
Auburn (12-7, 3-3 SEC) 78, Ole Miss (11-8, 3-3 SEC) 66: Auburn lived at the foul line (32-39 and that was the difference in the game. Keyshawn Hall, who led Auburn in scoring with 19 hit 11-12 from the foul line. AJ Storr scored 18 for Ole Miss, which saw it’s 3-game win streak come to a halt.
South Carolina (11-8, 2-4 SEC) 85, Oklahoma (11-8, 1-5 SEC) 76: Oklahoma’s chances of getting a road win were doomed by miserable 5-27 3-point shooting as South Carolina scored its second SEC win. Meechie Johnson’s 20 points that led South Carolina included 13-15 from the foul line. Xzayvier Brown’s 22 led Oklahoma.
Tonight’s games
Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) at Kentucky (12-6, 3-2 SEC)
Mississippi State (10-8, 2-3 SEC) at Texas A&M (14-4, 4-1 SEC)
How about Boogie grabbing a snack from a fan? Too funny.
Reuben at times carries the load, as he’s turned into one of our best and most talented centers. The jump made by Isaiah Brown is especially noteworthy, coming off the bench with starter level production coupled with the dirty work Micah Handlogten consistently gets done and Klavzar’s dead-eye shooting. This team keeps getting better.
Love that defense!
it was what I would call an ugly win - but it was a win