What Happened

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Five Florida players reached double-figure scoring and the 22nd-ranked Gators defeated Dartmouth 94-72 Monday night at Exactech/Arena O’Connell Center in the team’s final game before opening Southeastern Conference play this weekend. 

Junior forward Alex Condon led UF with 17 points and fell one rebound shy of his sixth double-double of the season, while junior center Rueben Chinyelu, the league leader in rebounds, tallied his eighth double-double with 13 points and 12 boards. Guard Xaivian Lee and backup guard Urban Klavzar each had a dozen points, while sophomore point guard Boogie Fland finished with 10 points and five assists. 

UF, winner of four straight, shot 49.2% for the game and pulverized Dartmouth on the glass, 60-24, with a 25-3 edge on the offensive end.

The Mean Green scored the game’s first point, but Lee’s 3-pointer just under a minute later not only gave the Gators the lead (for good, as it turned out), but started a run of a dozen consecutive points, as the home team took control.

UF shot 47% in the first half, but shot 26 free throws (converting 17) and out-rebounded Dartmouth 37-9 overall, with a stunning 15-0 edge on the offensive glass, leading to a 13-0 margin in second-chance points. The Green shot just 30% for the period, only seven free throws, and trailed 53-27 at the break. 

The second half was a different story, with Dartmouth outscoring UF 45-41 after drilling eight 3s (on 15 attempts) on the way to finishing 12-for-27 for the game. The Green came in ranked 33rd nationally from the 3-point arc at 37.9%. They finished at 44.4 for the game. 

Turning Point 

The opening minutes.
 

Staggering Statistic

You could go years without seeing a 15-0 offensive rebounding margin in one half. 
 

Up Next

Florida (9-4) travels to face Missouri (10-3) in the SEC opener for both teams Saturday night. The teams split their two games last season, with the Tigers handing the Gators their lone home loss, an 83-82 setback on Jan. 14, with UF avenging the defeat two months later with a 95-81 win in the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, on the way to the event’s championship (the first of nine consecutive postseason win for the Gators to end the 2025 campaign).   

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.