What Happened

GAINESVILLE, Fla.  – Forward Alex Condon joined the Florida 1,000-point club, while center Rueben Chinyelu bullied South Carolina for his 16th double-double of the season, as the 12th-ranked Gators beat the Gamecocks 76-62 in their Southeastern Conference game Tuesday night at Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center. 

Condon went seven of 14 from the floor and hit all six of his free throws to finish with 20 points and 10 rebounds (his fifth double-double of the season), along the way becoming the 58th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone. Chinyelu, the league leader in double doubles and runaway favorite for SEC Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds, giving him 81 over the last five games (that’s 16.2 per outing). Forward Thomas Haugh added 10 points, with three 3-pointers. 

The win was UF’s sixth straight (its 10th over the previous 11) and kept the Gators alone atop the SEC standings, with a 1.5-game lead on Arkansas, which plays at Alabama Wednesday night. The loss was USC’s seventh in a row. 

After surrendering an old-time 3-point play to Meechie Johnson to start the game, the Gators scored 10 straight points and never trailed thereafter. The UF lead got as high as 14 in the opening period, but the Gators went five minutes without a field goal and allowed the Gamecocks to draw within six, 35-29, before two Condon free throws and a steal and run-out layup at the horn by Xaivian Lee (9 points, 5 assists, 5 turnovers) sent UF into the locker room by 10. 

The Gators used an early second-half run of seven straight points to open a 16-point lead and were never threatened, eventually moving in front by as many as 22 before emptying the bench.

UF shot 47% for the game and defended USC at 38%, marking the fourth time during the six-game streak the opponent has been held under 40%. 

Turning Point 

Realistically, it came some time in the first half in Columbia 20 days ago when the Gators blasted the Gamecocks by 47 on the road, taking a 28-point lead at halftime. UF is just that much better than USC. 
 

Staggering Statistic

The Gators, with their longest winning streak since opening the 2024-25 season with 13 consecutive victories, have won their half-dozen straight by an average of 22.0 points. Only one of the victories (Saturday’s nine-point win over Kentucky) came by single figures.
 

Up Next

Florida (20-6, 11-2) heads back on the SEC road for back-to-back games, starting with Saturday’s noon date at Ole Miss (11-14, 3-9), which will take a seven-game losing skid (that includes three at home) into its Wednesday night game at Texas A&M. The Gators have not won in Oxford since 2016, with a run of four consecutive losses. South Carolina (11-15, 2-11) will be home Saturday against Mississippi State. 

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