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BOX SCORE
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Notes & quotes courtesy Florida Sports Information
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Todd Golden
Opening Statement…
“I thought our guys did a really good job of playing the right way all night. And what I mean by that is, Merrimack is a really good program. Joe Gallo is a great coach. I think they’re really unique that way they play their zone. We have better personnel and in a game like this, you’re not always measuring your performance based off a score, kind of more in terms of what the expectation is in terms of execution and how hard you play, and how important it is for the guys to compete on every possession. And we showed a lot of respect for Merrimack in the way we competed tonight. I thought our guys were on point, playing the right way, sharing the ball. We rebounded very well tonight. I thought we took care of the ball for the most part and made our free throws. We stepped up, guarded really well. Like we talked about a lot, our defense should be our identity most nights. I thought we did a good job that way. And I’m proud of the systematic effort our guys displayed this evening.”
On the significance of Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu setting the tone tonight…
“The expectation is for them to set it every night, to be honest. Two of our most impactful players and we need them to play well for us to be the best we can be. Rueben obviously kind of found his form. He’s playing elite basketball right now, just cleaning the glass…21 rebounds is the most rebounds in the shot clock era at Florida. I think Andrew DeClercq had 20 in 1994, something like that. He was a pretty good player. So for Rueben to go in there and grab 21 rebounds, just says a lot about his effort and enthusiasm and his enjoying competing and Condon and Thomas Haugh did a really good job keeping us organized in the middle of the zone. We felt like if we could get them the ball in advantaged, disadvantaged situations there and let them kind of read the opportunities that would be our best bet to attack it and it worked out well for us.”
On the 21-0 run in the first half and what he saw from his team…
“We were just competing really, really well. We were guarding really hard. I though we showed great pride that way in the first half, like Isaiah Brown’s chase down block was a great example of that. We already had a lead and we were finishing every play. We were taking what the defense gave us. We weren’t getting cute or unique with what we were trying to do, and I said before, I’ll use the word again, systematic with it.”
On Isaiah Brown maturing more as he plays…
“Getting a couple of threes from him tonight was huge. He has the capability to do that. Isaiah is a guy that we came into the year kind of counting on or thinking that we could rely on him. And he kind of had an up and down fall, but he’s playing really well right now. And I think he’s in a great headspace, has a great understanding of what we need from him in that role. And when he can help us by making a couple threes, that icing on the cake. He was plus-20 in his minutes, I thought he defended pretty well and two blocks, he’s competing really well.”
Junior F Alex Condon
On his and the team’s progress from game one to game five…
“Individually, I think I’m doing better, just trying to be more consistent every day with how I approach the game and how it translates onto the court… I think we’re where we want to be right now, but we still have to build a lot. We’ve got a good tournament coming up in San Diego and we’re just going to keep building and I think the team’s going to get there eventually.”
On the unique challenge of Merrimack’s zone defense…
“It’s a weird one. I think the guards limited their three-point opportunities just a little bit. I think we were trying to really emphasize getting into the high post tonight, and every time we would get into the high post, it was kind of just a one-on-one. I was trying to spread out to Xaivian (Lee) and get these other guys involved a little bit, but yeah it was an interesting game, I think defensively wise, not a lot of teams do zone for the whole game and don’t switch up at all, but yeah it’s an interesting one and I think the boys handled it really well tonight.”
On the spark that Isaiah Brown has provided off the bench…
“I think he’s been a big part of our success in the past few games, just coming on with a lot of energy off the bench and he’s a star defensively. Coming on and shooting the ball with confidence is a thing that he’s been trying to do better and he did it well tonight, I think he was two for three, so that’s something we need, three-point shooting, and if he’s going to provide that, he’s going to be big for us down the stretch.”
On how much more comfortable Urban Klavžar has looked this season…
“I think Urb’s a different player. I think he’s more than just a shooter, he’s a great passer, he can finish inside as well, but just his work ethic and confidence that he’s been playing with as well, he’s just been really crucial for us. We needed three-point shooting like I said, so Urb’s important for us.”
Junior C Reuben Chinyelu
On his and the team’s progress from game one to game five…
“I would say from game one to the present game right now, I just think we connected the dots, we’re playing together and getting the feel of each other and then just trust in each other. I think the most important thing is just being able to trust and know that we got each other’s backs and I think that’s what we’re doing right now and we’re blending in together, feeling each other, even when we’re not there, just getting the feeling like, yeah, he’s going to be there, and just playing basketball and having fun that’s what we need and cheering for each other. I think that’s something that we’ve put into and buy into and it’s just working great, because when we are together, it’s just going to be fun basketball.”
On Olivier Rioux getting his first point…
“Oh, it was really fun. Just being able to practice with him, how he’s been progressing from last year, working really hard, doing what he can just to stay fit and make sure that he’s available to go in there and do what he do, so I’m just so happy just to see him out there.”
On if he knew how many rebounds he had and how much of a record it was…
“No, I didn’t know really until I got off and they were like ‘Yeah, you got like over 20 boards,’ and it felt good, that’s what we do and let’s keep stacking that.”
NOTEABLE
- Rueben Chinyelu’s 14 points and UF shot-clock era record 21 rebounds along with Alex Condon’s 20 points and 10 rebounds, led the Gators to a dominant victory.
- Florida opened the game on an 11-0 run and added another 21-0 run on the way to a 32-4 start to the game.
- This marked the fourth straight game UF has had multiple players with a double-double. In box score data back to 1990, UF had not previously had even two straight games with multiple double-doubles.
- The 21-0 run was the Gators’ fourth run of 20+ points over the past 10 seasons (27-0 vs. Wichita State, 11/29/24; 21-0 vs. Virginia in NCAA Tournament, 3/18/17; 20-0 vs. Merrimack, 12/5/23).
- Chinyelu’s 21 rebounds were the most by a Gator since Eugene McDowell’s 21 vs. Georgia on Jan. 6, 1982. Chinyelu and McDowell are the only Gators since 1970 to post 21 rebounds.
- It was the 24th 20-rebound performance in Florida history.
- Chinyelu’s double-double was his third in a row. He is the first Gator since Tyrese Samuel in 2023-24 (vs. Michigan, Grambling, Quinnipiac) to post three straight double-doubles.
- Chinyelu was active from the start with five points and five rebounds in the first four minutes.
- His 12 rebounds at in the first half marked the second time this season a Gator has had 10+ rebounds in a half (Thomas Haugh, 11, 2nd half vs. FSU)
- Florida was dominant on the glass again, posting a 53-25 rebounding advantage, its third game going +20 or better on the boards.
- Thomas Haugh added 13 points, and Boogie Fland scored 10, including going 2-for-3 from 3-poinr range.
- Isaiah Brown hit a pair of 3s and blocked two shots, while freshmen CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd each hit their only 3-point attempt.
- Florida had its second straight sellout and 11th over its past 13 home games.
- Florida has won 10 straight at home and is 32-2 at the O’Dome since the start of the 2023-24 season.
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