FINAL: No. 19 Florida 100, No. 23 Alabama 77

What Happened

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh combined for 47 points, center Rueben Chinyelu had another double-double and point guard Boogie Fland flirted with a triple-double as 19th-ranked Florida blew out No. 23 Alabama 100-77 in their Sunday sold-out Southeastern Conference showdown at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.

UF was sensational on both ends of the floor, shooting 51% for the game and posting a massive 72-26 advantage in paint points. The Gators forced the Crimson Tide into 18 turnovers and converted them into 25 points, with a 26-3 scoring edge in transition.

Condon finished with a game- and season-high 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Haugh added 22 points. Chinyelu, with his SEC-best 13th double-double, had 14 points and 17 boards, while Fland went for 15 points, eight assists and equaled the UF single-game record for steals with eight.

Alabama shot 44% for the game and dropped 14 from the 3-point line, but was never really in it after halftime. The Gators built a double-digit lead late in the first half and piled on to start the second, rendering the G Leaguer-turned-SEC center Charles Bediako pregame storyline irrelevant. Bediako, the 7-footer made eligible by a court order, finished with six points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes before fouling out with 2:10 to go, much to the delight of the O'Dome crowd.

Oh, and 7-foot-9 walk-on center Olivier Rioux scored points 99 and 100 after the Gators emptied their bench with 1:08 left.

Florida led by two, 32-30, inside the five-minute mark when Chinyelu started a spurt of nine straight points with a couple free throws. Haugh followed with a transition layup, backup guard Isaiah Brown with a post-up bucket on a nice entry pass from Chiyelu, with Haugh finishing it off with a 3-pointer to go up 41-30 with less than three minutes to go.

It was a 10-point game at the break and UF scored the first 10 points of the second to take a 22-point lead that never fell below 16 the rest of the way.

Sophomore point guard Boogie Fland with the run-out first-half slam.

Turning Point

The run of nine straight points to open a double-digit lead inside the last five minutes of the first period, but also those 10 straight to start the second. Bridging the half, the UF defense had 11 consecutive stops against the nation's third-rated offense coming in.

Staggering Statistic

Those point-in-the-paint numbers were ridiculous, but that the Gators also played the first 24 minutes of a wide-open, elite offensive game without committing a turnover was thoroughly impressive. That they finished with just two turnovers in 40 minutes (and that 25-0 edge in points off giveaways) was remarkable.

Up Next

Florida (16-6, 7-2) has its mid-week bye, but Saturday will have another big-time, high-stakes SEC match-up when it goes to Texas A&M. The Aggies (17-4, 7-1) head into the week sitting alone atop the league standings, a half-game ahead of the Gators. A&M has a tough road date at Alabama (14-7, 4-4) Wednesday night.

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

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