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Rueben Chinyelu scores 20 points as No. 19 Florida beats No. 10 Vanderbilt 98-94

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.

Up next

Vanderbilt: At No. 17 Arkansas on Tuesday.

Florida: Hosts LSU on Tuesday.

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Hawkeyes are set to play Vanderbilt in a November women’s basketball game in Sioux City, Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday. The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997. The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
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