What Happened

BATON ROUGE, La. – Sophomores Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh delivered double-doubles and anchored Florida’s second-half surge, as the second-ranked Gators erased an eight-point deficit to defeat LSU 79-65 in Saturday night’s SEC matchup at Maravich Assembly Center.

Chinyelu set a career mark with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks, while Haugh contributed 16 points, 10 boards, and three assists. Their dominance on the glass proved decisive, helping Florida — now winners of six straight — control the boards 48-33 and outscore LSU 17-8 in second-chance opportunities. The Gators also held a 44-24 edge in points in the paint.

The scoreline didn’t fully reflect the game’s swings. Florida built a 14-point lead in the first half, only to see LSU storm back with a 22-2 run to take a 37-31 advantage at halftime. Early in the second half, the Tigers pushed the margin to eight before Florida responded. Haugh scored 13 points after the break, fueling the rally with energy plays and timely finishes. Fifth-year guard Alijah Martin also made a major impact, returning to the starting lineup for the first time in five games. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds, including a stretch of six straight points late that helped secure the win.

Senior Walter Clayton Jr. added 13 points and six rebounds, while junior Denzel Aberdeen came off the bench to score 11. Florida shot 55.6 percent in the second half (up from 32.4 in the first) and limited LSU to 38.1 percent overall, including just 29.0 percent from deep (9-for-31).

LSU’s big first-half run briefly put Florida on its heels, but the Gators regained control with a 14-3 burst sparked by a Chinyelu floater and Haugh’s transition layup. Backup guard Urban Klavzar added a fast-break finish to give Florida a lead it never relinquished.

Three minutes later, the margin grew to eight before LSU trimmed it back to four. That’s when Martin drilled a 3-pointer and followed with a traditional three-point play, set up by a steal from Will Richard, to push the lead to double digits. Florida eventually stretched the advantage to 18 with just over two minutes left, as LSU converted only two of its final 10 shots. The Gators outscored the Tigers 48-28 in the second half.

Fifth-year senior guard Alijah Martin (15) returned to the starting lineup Saturday.