NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rueben Chinyelu scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half and No. 19 Florida beat No. 10 Vanderbilt 98-94 on Saturday.
Chinyelu was 5 for 5 from the field and 6 for 6 from the line in the second half as Florida (13-5, 4-1 SEC) overcame a one-point halftime deficit with a 54-49 scoring edge in the second half. Xaivian Lee had 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers.
Tyler Tanner scored 20 points and Duke Miles added 15 before fouling out late in the second for Vanderbilt (16-2, 3-2), which lost its second straight game after opening the season with 16 consecutive wins. The Commodores lost 80-64 at Texas on Wednesday.
The Gators dominated the Commodores on the boards, finishing with a 40-26 rebounding edge, including 13-6 on the offensive end. The teams' shooting was close as Florida shot 52% (32 of 61) from the field and Vanderbilt was 51% (33 of 65) from the floor.
The game was close at the outset before Florida went on a 13-0 and built a 10-point lead behind 12 first-half points from 6-foot-11 center Alex Condon.
The Commodores rallied and took a 45-44 lead at halftime on Jalen Washington's putback at the buzzer. The conversion was Vanderbilt's only offensive rebound of the first half.
The second half was loaded with fouls as both teams committed 26 penalties in the last 20 minutes.
In one sequence, Chinyelu shot and made four straight free throws off Vanderbilt’s flagrant and common fouls. The Gators got the ball back and Thomas Haugh hit a 3-pointer, completing a seven-point possession.
Vanderbilt: At No. 17 Arkansas on Tuesday.
Florida: Hosts LSU on Tuesday.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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