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Everything was trending as expected in the first 15 minutes of the contest between Florida and Louisiana State.
That was, until everything wasn’t.
The unranked Tigers came back down 14 points by going on a 22-2 run to end the first half. They outplayed Florida in every facet, performing well above average beyond the arc, on the boards, and scoring near the rim.
However, the No. 2 Florida Gators (24-3, 11-3 SEC) made second-half adjustments and defeated the Louisiana State Tigers (14-13, 3-11 SEC) 79-65 Saturday night at Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Florida forward Thomas Haugh went on a phenomenal run in the second half.
Haugh has played well the past few weeks as several of his teammates have battled through injuries. Saturday night, he tallied 13 second half points to lead an eight-point comeback in the final 20 minutes. Haugh finished with a double-double and recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Florida sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu has been a glue-guy for the Gators all season. While there has been parody the last month in Florida’s starting lineup with several different players suffering injuries, Chinyelu has been the one constant.
He isn’t the flashiest of players. He might not stand out on the boxscore either. However, the Nigeria native does everything that is asked of him from head coach Todd Golden.
On Saturday night, Chinyelu shined early and became the focal point of Florida’s offense. He nailed floaters from outside the paint and even hit a few elbow jumpers.
Chinyelu tallied his second conference double-double and finished the night with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Florida is one of the best teams in the country defending beyond the arc. Heading into the contest, the Gators ranked No. 5 in defensive three-point percentage.
Despite this, the Tigers performed well above what was expected and shot 38% from three in the first half. Florida made the necessary adjustments and limited Louisiana State to just three made threes on 15 attempts in the second half.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: On any normal night, Florida crushes most teams in the rebound battle. However, without center Alex Condon and forward Sam Alexis, rebounding has become much more of a challenge for the Gators the past few weeks.
Against the Tigers — and undersized team — Florida was dominating the rebound battle until a lopsided 22-2 run to end the first half. But the second half looked like a completely different story.
Florida outrebounded the Tigers 24-14 and created 11 second chance points in the final 20 minutes of the contest.
WHAT A PLAY: Chinyelu had arguably the best night of his career in a Florida uniform and capped off his night in the final three minutes of the contest when he grabbed an offensive rebound for his 10th board and simultaneously slammed it at the rim.
He has a knack for finishing strong near in the paint, and the dunk might’ve been his most vicious of the season.
UP NEXT: The No. 2 Florida Gators (22-3, 10-3 SEC) play the Georgia Bulldogs (16-10, 4-9 SEC) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Stegeman Coliseum. Florida defeated Georgia 89-59 the last time the two teams met Jan. 25.
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