Rueben Chinyelu, Urban Klavzar lead Florida to win over LSU, 5th straight SEC victory
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Rueben Chinyelu is the reigning SEC Player of the Week and got off to a strong start to make it back-to-back weeks as the top player in the conference. Chinyelu turned in a spectacular night to carry Florida to a 79-61 win over LSU.
The veteran big man had a double-double of 15 points and 21 rebounds, tying a career-high on the glass. He’s the first Gator to log 4-straight double-doubles since David Lee in 2005.
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Chinyelu’s 15 points were second on the team Tuesday night. Urban Klavzar had a big night off the bench, scoring a game-high 18 points over 24 minutes. A 3-point specialist, Klavzar was 5-of-9 from beyond the arc on a night the Gators were just 9-of-27 from 3-point range as a team. Florida starters Boogie Fland and Alex Condon were the other Gators in double figures, scoring 10 points each.
YEAH URB! YEAH RUE!
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 21, 2026
ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/RWepvOjiQy
LSU shot 43% to Florida’s 41% from the field, but the Gators attempted 12 more field goals (68-56) and made it to the line for 12 more free throw attempts (27-15).
There were some lead changes in the early goings, but LSU’s last lead was 9-7 at the 15:12 mark of the first half. Florida had a 38-26 advantage at the break and widened that lead in the second half.
Todd Golden‘s team improves to 5-1 in the SEC to stay atop the conference standings. The Gators currently share the top spot with Texas A&M, which faces Mississippi State on Wednesday. UF hosts Auburn on Saturday.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
