Micah Robinson (5) and his TCU teammates got to the rim a lot against the Gators Thursday.
What Happened
SAN DIEGO – Senior guard Xaivian Lee snapped out of his shooting slump by scoring 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, joining four other Florida players in double figures as the 10th-ranked Gators earned a split in the Rady Children's Invitational with a 90-78 victory over Providence in Friday’s consolation game at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Lee, who entered the contest shooting just 22% overall and 16.7% from beyond the arc this season, went 7-for-16 from the field and connected on four of nine 3-point attempts. The Princeton transfer also added seven rebounds, four assists, and delivered strong defense throughout the night.
Junior guard Urban Klavzar, who paced the Gators with 20 points in Thursday’s loss to Texas Christian, followed up with another hot performance off the bench, finishing with 18 points. Junior forward Thomas Haugh and junior center Rueben Chinyelu both recorded double-doubles. Haugh tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, while Chinyelu posted his fourth double-double in five games with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore point guard Boogie Fland chipped in 17 points, including four 3-pointers.
The Gators were without junior forward
Alex Condon, the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, who was sidelined for precautionary reasons after taking a hit to the head in the TCU game. His replacement, 7-foot-1 senior center
Micah Handlogten, didn’t score but contributed six rebounds and three assists. Despite shooting just 42.4% overall, UF knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers, won the rebounding battle 42-37, converted 22 of 27 free throws (81.5%), and held PC to 43.3% shooting.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Brown (20) finishes a steal and run-out slam in Friday's first half.
Turning Point
The UF lead stood at six, 53-47, when Boogie Fland buried 3-pointers on each side of the under-16 media timeout, stretching the margin back into double digits. Those shots fueled a decisive 14-4 run, as the Gators steadily built an advantage that grew to as many as 19 with just over seven minutes remaining.
Staggering Statistic
The Gators committed four turnovers in the opening four minutes, continuing the troubling trend from their 19-turnover loss to TCU. However, over the final 36 minutes against the Friars, UF limited mistakes to just four turnovers.
Up Next
Florida (5-2) OR (4-3) will return home immediately after the game and shift focus to Tuesday night’s matchup at No. 4 Duke (8-0), marking the Gators’ first trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium in 27 years.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.
