Rueben Chinyelu tied a career-high with 14 points,lifting Florida basketball to a 86-62 win over Grambling State on Monday night at the O’Connell Center.
The 6-foot-10, 255-pound Chinyelu, a transfer from Washington State, impacted the game on both ends of the floor with 2 blocks and 2 steals and a solid all-around game.
Guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard added 12 points apiece for UF, while sophomore forward Alex Condon had 10 points and 8 rebounds as five UF scorers reached double figures
The Florida Gators (3-0) did not look distracted playing their first game since it was revealed that head coach Todd Golden the subject of a Title IX complaint. The complaint includes allegations that the coach engaged in sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking.
Florida jumped to a 43-28 halftime lead and led by as many as 28 points in the second half. UF shot 45.3% from the floor while holding Grambling State to 42.6%.
Antwan Burnett led Grambling State (1-2) with 15 points.
Here are three takeaways from Florida’s win over the Tigers:
Florida basketball does a better job on the boards
After getting out-rebounded 40-35 in its last game against Jacksonville, Florida displayed more urgency and physicality on the boards against Jacksonville, outrebounding Grambling 25-10 in the first half and 45-24 for the game.
Condon led the way with 8 rebounds, wth Alijah Martin and Thomas Haugh adding seven rebounds apiece for UF,
The lopsided margin on the boards allowed UF to outscore the Tigers 18-2 in second chance points. Florida grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
Another big game for Florida basketball bench
Florida showed off its depth, outscoring Grambling State 29-13 in bench points.
Sam Alexis led Florida’s second unit with another solid outing, finishing with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Thomas Haugh added 9 points and 7 rebounds.
Florida basketball still seeking more consistency from the 3-point line
Florida, which entered Monday night shooting just 24% in its first two games, finished the Grambling State game shooting 30.4% percent (7-23) from 3-point range, Clayton broke out of his early-season shooting slump somewhat, starting the game 2 of 5 from 3-point range and finishing 3 of 7 from beyond the arc,
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Five score in double figures to lift No. 19 Florida basketball to win over Grambling State
