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Chinyelu Sparks Gators to ESPN Events Invitational Title

Rueben Chinyelu's first double-double as a Gator lifts Florida to a dominate win in the ESPN Events Invitational Championship.

Cam Parker

Nov 29, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) blocks a shot from Wichita State Shockers forward Corey Washington (6) in the first half at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Nov 29, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) blocks a shot from Wichita State Shockers forward Corey Washington (6) in the first half at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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KISSIMMEE, Fla.--Florida Gators forward Rueben Chinyelu's biggest performance of his career came in one of the most important early games of the 2024-2025 season.

The sophomore center accomplished only the second double-double of his career and first as a Gator with a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds, sparking No. 18 Florida to a 88-51 win over Wichita State in the ESPN Events Invitational Championship.


The win moved Florida to 8-0 and gave the Gators its first holiday tournament title since 2021. The 37-point margin of victory is the largest this season Florida's most-lopsided win since last season's 39-point win over Grambling State.

Florida led for 37:32 of game time while holding Wichita State to 17-for-57 shooting with 10 turnovers.

The Gators offense, meanwhile, found rhythm after a moderately slow start behind a 19-point effort from Walter Clayton Jr., who has now scored in double digits in six of Florida's eight games, and a 17-point, nine-rebound performance from Alex Condon, who hit a career-high three 3-pointers.

The Gators shot a season-high 42 percent from deep with 14 makes on 33 attempts. Florida saw 14 players get minutes in the win with 10 scoring at least one point.

Scoring Droughts and Runs Dictate First Half

Florida's defense simply dominated Wichita State's offense during the first half by holding the Shockers to a 6-for-32 shooting performance.

The Gators held Wichita State to 13 points through the first 10 minutes of play with four total blocks, two from Chinyelu and one each from Clayton Jr. and Will Richard.

At one point, Wichita State was shooting 5-for-21 and trailed by eight points before the Gators' offense began to slow down.

Holding a 21-13 lead, Florida had a 4-minute scoring drought, shooting 0-for-8 with two turnovers, and the Shockers eventually cut Florida's lead to three made it 21-18 with 10:12 left in the first half. Florida found its own answers from Clayton Jr. who ended the drought and Chinyelu who made back-to-back buckets.

Alex Condon drilled a 3-pointer before Clayton Jr. added a dunk to give the Gators a 14-point lead with 1:10 left in the half.

In the midst of Florida finding its own offensive success, the Shocker offense couldn't keep up. Wichita State did not score a single point over the last 7:26 of game time shooting 0-for-9 with six turnovers in that span.

Alijah Martin finalized the first-half scoring with a corner 3-pointer as time expired.

Gators Dominate Second Half

Florida kept its foot on the gas pedal out of the halftime break and kept Wichita State's scoring drought intact. The Shockers didn't record a point until the 16:46 mark of the second half, but the Gators held a 30-point lead by that time.

Florida went on a 27-0 scoring run from its 21-18 lead in the first half to go up 48-18. Five of the Gators' first six made shots came from deep with two 3-pointers from Alex Condon.

Meanwhile, Chinyelu added two dunks to hit his career-high mark for points and accomplish his second-career double-double.

Holding a 34-point lead six minutes into the second half, the Gators subbed out most of its starters, only for bench pieces Thomas Haugh, Sam Alexis, Denzel Aberdeen and Isaiah Brown to add to the scoring.

Alexis, who only played seven minutes in Thursday's win over Wake Forest, scored seven points in the second half, and Haugh added two 3-pointers. Brown added four points in nine minutes of play with four rebounds, and Aberdeen scored seven points with three assists.

Florida held a 48-point lead with less than two minutes left before Wichita State went on an 11-0 run to end the game.

Next Up

The Gators return to the floor on Dec. 4 at home for a matchup against Virginia for the SEC/ACC Men's Challenge, which tips off at 7:15 p.m. Television coverage can be found on ESPN 2.

Published
Cam Parker
CAM PARKER

Cam Parker is a contributing writer at AllGators.com of FanNation-Sports Illustrated and is a recent graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester.

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