#18/16 Florida 88, Wichita State 51
ESPN Events Invitational Championship Game
State Farm Field House | Kissimmee, Fla.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/11/29/2024.11.29_Florida_vs._Wichita_State.PDF> | Season Stats<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/11/15/2024-25_UFstats.pdf> | Courtesy Photos & Press Conferences<https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rb8ojhaf9ygpi6d0k3c9e/ANF6-ow4Wppu1j1zjAsnMXA?rlkey=g1esu5ww8r31yd8dyekcik5iw&st=3b1ht5u5&dl=0>
Records: Florida 8-0; Wichita State 6-1
Next Up: Wednesday, 7:15 p.m., Virginia (SEC/ACC Challenge), ESPN2
Notable
* Florida went on an epic 27-0 run spanning both halves to bury Wichita State. UF used a 16-0 run over the final six minutes of the first half to open up a 37-18 halftime lead, and the run continued after the break with Florida scoring the first 11 points of the half.
* The Gators continued to pour it on throughout the second half, leading by as many as 48 at 88-40 when the Gators emptied their bench.
* In the 24 minutes of game action from the time Florida’s scoring run began to emptying the bench, the Gators outscored the Shockers, 67-22.
* Walter Clayton Jr. scored a team-high 19 points and shot 5-for-9 from 3-point range, taking home tournament MVP honors.
* Rueben Chinyelu played a monster game with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. His scoring tally matched his career high.
* It marked Chinyelu’s first double-double as a Gator and second of his career (12 points, 11 rebounds in a win at #4 Arizona, 2/22/24).
* Chinyelu also recorded four blocked shots and four assists. He joins Joakim Noah (11/10/06) and Colin Castleton (11/24/22 vs. Xavier) as the only Gators since 1996 to post a double-double, four blocks and four dimes, but Chinyelu’s 14 points exceeds the 11 by both prior players.
* Alex Condon chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds and earned All-Tournament Team.
* Florida has started a season 8-0 for the fourth time in program history and the first since 2009-10. All eight wins have been by a margin of at least 13 points, 22.0 on average.
* Walter Clayton Jr. has hit a 3-pointer in 31 straight games, the fifth-longest streak in UF history and the longest since Michael Frazier’s record 41-game streak (Jan. 2014-Jan. 2015).
* The meeting marked the third in UF history between two teams 6-0 or better, the first resulting in a Gator win. Florida previously lost a Dec. 2009 meeting with Syracuse in Tampa (both entered 8-0) and a Dec. 2012 road trip to Arizona (both entered 7-0).
Head Coach Todd Golden
Opening statement…
“Just really proud of our group, thought we’ve played some pretty good basketball over the last two days. Hard to win championships. We talked about it before, you get four opportunities generally each year. You get your MTE [multi-team event], your regular season conference championship, your conference tournament championship and the NCAA championship. Getting one in a year is tough to do; we got our first. Just really proud of the way we played. I felt like we made a jump as a team over the past couple days. Obviously on the defensive side of the ball, we’ve shown the ability to guard. If we can continue to grow on that side of the ball and maintain our efficiency on the offensive end, we’re going to be tough to beat. Really proud of the way our guys have competed and just being 8-0 is hard to do. We’re off to a great start.”
On how far the team has come along even this early in the season…
“Just looking back at opening night, I feel like we’ve gotten a lot better since then. Just more complete, more consistent. Again, going back to the defensive side of the ball, held Wake [Forest] to 58 last night, held a really good Wichita [State] team to 51 today. I’m saying the same thing again – if we can continue to do that on the defensive end, we’re going to be tough. We’re seeing guys like Walt [Clayton] really guard, Will [Richard] really guard. Obviously, Rueben [Chinyelu] has played really, really well over the last couple days. I thought he had his best game as a Gator [today]. When he provides that backbone of the defense at the rim…I think they were 2-for-20 from two in the first half, and he was a big part of that. More guys are playing better, and I feel like we are slowly becoming a more complete team.”
Sophomore C Rueben Chinyelu
On his energy and production today…
“I approach every other game the same way, just being there, being present and do whatever it takes to get my team where we have to be. So I think that’s what’s happening, just being there, appreciating my teammates and doing what we have to do.”
Senior G Walter Clayton Jr.
On what was working…
“I think defense and energy, and that led to a lot of offensive stuff. I thought we played great on the defensive side of the ball, and that just led to everything.”
Sophomore F Alex Condon
On the Gators’ 27-point run spanning both halves…
“I think we came out with solid energy. We go on these runs, and we were saying in the locker room at halftime, ‘We smell blood,’ and then it was just full steam ahead. We came out in the second half, as well. Coach emphasized to us not to take the foot off the gas. We did that in the second half, so I was happy with what the team did today.”
