Center Rueben Chinyelu throws in a second-chance bucket on his 14 points and a career-high 21 rebounds Friday night against Merrimack.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It had been quite some time since a Florida player hauled in at least 20 rebounds in a single game. In fact, it had been 31 years.
On Friday night, the name of UF Athletic Hall of Famer Andrew DeClercq resurfaced following the 10th-ranked Gators’ 80-45 rout of Merrimack at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. DeClercq, the starting center on Florida’s first Final Four team, was the last Gator to reach that milestone, pulling down 20 boards in an upset of Kentucky back in 1994.
This time, it was junior center Rueben Chinyelu — the 6-foot-10, 265-pound anchor of last season’s Final Four and national championship squad — who overwhelmed the Warriors with 21 rebounds. It marked the most by a Florida player not only since DeClercq, but also in the shot-clock era (dating back to 1985). Chinyelu added 14 points, scoring five of the game’s first eight, and helped build a commanding first-half lead before finishing with his third consecutive double-double in just 27 minutes of play.
"He's a monster," UF junior forward Alex Condon said.
The numbers certainly support that claim. Chinyelu has now collected 56 rebounds across his last four games, with his 21 in this contest securing a place in the program’s record book.
"I didn't know really until I got off and they were like 'Yeah, you got like over 20 boards,' and it felt good," Chinyelu said in his thick Nigerian accent. "That's what we do and let's keep stacking that."
UF center Rueben Chinyelu (9) on the defensive Friday night against the Warriors.
Alex Condon also made his mark, finishing with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, giving him his third double-double of the season and the 10th of his career. Junior forward Thomas Haugh contributed 13 points, while sophomore point guard Boogie Fland added 10. Off the bench, backup guards Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown each chipped in six points (both hitting two 3-pointers) and three rebounds, helping to balance out another difficult offensive outing for guard Xaivian Lee, who went scoreless in 22 minutes after missing all six of his shots.
The Gators (4-1) shot just 43.4% overall but connected on eight of 22 attempts from long range (a season-best 36.4%). Their defense, which has fueled the current four-game winning streak, remained strong throughout. The Warriors (2-4), representing the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, were limited to 28.6% shooting and just four of 24 from beyond the arc (16%).
UF dominated the glass, out-rebounding Merrimack 53-25, including a 19-7 advantage on the offensive boards.
"We have some guys struggling in some different areas offensively, but collectively our defensive effort is really, really good right now. And for me, I measure guys on how they do with the things that don't require talent," UF coach Todd Golden said. "Are they defending? Are they rebounding? Are they taking care of the ball? Are they on the scouting report? Are they diving on the floor for loose balls? Are they blocking out? All these different things. Those are the things that we care about. We'll worry about the shot-making later."
Rueben Chinyelu opened the game by hitting one of two free throws, followed with a putback, and then finished a lob from Condon within the first three and a half minutes. Florida scored the first 11 points of the contest, then strung together a 21-0 run to surge ahead 30-4, ultimately taking a 44-17 lead into halftime.
"We were just competing really, really well [and] we were guarding really hard. I thought we showed great pride that way in the first half," Golden said after facing Merrimack’s 40 minutes of steady 2-3 zone defense. "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 [be] systematic with it."
When not on the floor on his way to scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench, sophomore guard Isaiah Brown (20) was cheering on his teammates.
The second half proved more balanced (UF outscored Merrimack 36-28), but with a 38-point cushion and just under three minutes remaining, it was inevitable that Coach Todd Golden would glance down his bench and respond to the Rowdy Reptiles’ booming chants for 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux to take the floor.
WE WANT OL-LIE!
Their wish was granted, as Rioux entered for the final 2:26. The tallest player in college basketball earned a thunderous ovation when he sank a free throw for his first career point and later secured his first rebound, capping off a memorable night for the home crowd.
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