Gators Down LSU Behind Second-Half Surge

Florida went on a large scoring run after trailing by eight points early in the second half to earn the win, sparked by double-doubles from Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh.

Feb 22, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) dribbles against LSU Tigers forward Daimion Collins (10) during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

BATON ROUGE, La.-- Using a 22-6 run early the first half after trailing by eight points, the No. 2 Florida Gators on Saturday downed LSU, 79-65, to earn its sixth-straight win.

Sparked by double-doubles from Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu, the Gators recorded 19 offensive boards and scored 17 second-chance points. Chinyelu finished with a career-high 19 points with 13 rebounds, while Haugh added 16 points and 10 rebounds in his third-straight start.

Four of Florida's five starters scored in double figures with Walter Clayton Jr. scoring 13 points and Alijah Martin adding 14.

Leading 7-4 early, Florida took a double-digit lead with 13 minutes left in the first half as a result of an 11-0 run sparked by a pair 3-pointers from Denzel Aberdeen and Martin. However, the Gators completely fell flat the rest of the first half.

LSU dominated the rest of the way, eventually turning a 29-15 deficit into a 37-31 lead into the locker room. A 14-0 scoring run from the Tigers tied the game with 3:22 left in the first half, and LSU eventually took its first lead of the game a short time later off a 3-pointer from Dji Bailey.

LSU made five 3-pointers in the last seven minutes of the first half, including two from Mike Williams. Additionally, Robert Miller III scored nine points during the run, eventually finishing with 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting and 10 rebounds off the bench.

The Gators' only score during the run was a jumper from Aberdeen with 2:59 left in the half, which ended a near-three-minute scoring drought in which Florida missed seven-straight shots. Florida shot 2-for-16 over the last nine minutes of the first half.

Florida finally found offensive success four minutes into the second half as Clayton Jr. scored five-straight points, including an and-one bucket on a fast break, to cut the deficit to three points.

He added a jumper with 12:16 left to make it a one-point game before the officials overturned an earlier goaltending call on Chinyelu to give Florida its first lead since the four-minute mark of the first half.

A layup from Aberdeen shortly after capped a 9-0 run for the Gators with nearly 11 minutes left in the game, and Haugh added a pair of buckets and an offensive rebound to mark his third double-double of the season.

Meanwhile, Chinyelu scored seven points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to consistently keep the Gators close, and Florida eventually extended its lead back to double-digits with 4:16 left after an and-one and a 3-pointer from Alijah Martin.

Martin's six points in that stretch sparked a 14-0 run for Florida to ultimately seal the win.

Next Up

The Gators remain on the road on Tuesday and will go for a regular season sweep of rival Georgia and former head coach Mike White. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network.