Florida Dominates Merrimack, 80-45

Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu had double-doubles, while Olivier Rioux made history.

Florida Gators forward Alex Condon had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla. – Led by the frontcourt, the Florida Gators completely dominated Merrimack on Friday, winning 80-45 in Exactech Arena. 

Most notably, Rueben Chinyelu logged his third straight double-double of the season and set a new career-high in rebounds. On the night, Chinyelu poured in 14 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. His 21 rebounds were also a Florida shot clock era record. 

Rueben Chinyelu's 21 rebounds are a Florida shot clock era record, per the great @denverparler

— Florida Basketball Hour (@FloridaBBHour) November 22, 2025

“Rueben’s obviously kind of found his form. He's playing elite basketball right now, just cleaning the glass,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said after the win. 

Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon, the other members of the frontcourt, had solid nights as well. Condon finished with a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. Haugh recorded 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. 

It was all Chinyelu to begin the game for the Gators. The junior center grabbed the Gators' first five rebounds of the game and scored five of the team’s first seven points of the game within the first five minutes of the contest.

Alongside Chinyelu’s performance in the early goings, Florida’s team defense was strong. Merrimack did not score its points until the 14:53 mark in the first half and only broke into double digits at the 4:08 mark. 

As a result, Florida held the lead from start to finish in the first 20 minutes. Within the first eight minutes, the Gators led 20-4. By the 8:45 mark, they were in front 30-4. Then, by the end of the half, Florida walked away with a 44-17 advantage over their opponents. 

Spearheading the Gators in the first half was Condon. The Australian contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal. Additionally, five of his seven rebounds were on the offensive end. 

Chinyelu and Haugh also had strong first halves. Chinyelu added seven points and 12 rebounds, while Haugh was responsible for nine points and three rebounds. 

Dunk on 'em Tommyyy 😤

📺 SECN + pic.twitter.com/lKHedUHgmu

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 22, 2025

Nothing changed in the second half for the Gators, either. Their defense kept Merrimack’s offense quiet while the offense continued its work in the paint. Florida continued their onslaught, eventually extending their lead to 32 with under seven minutes to play. 

An added benefit of extending the lead to as much as they did was that Golden was able to give two of his freshmen minutes in the contest. Both CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd saw the court against Merrimack on Friday and made sure to impress. 

Ingram scored five points in his 10 minutes, and Lloyd had three points himself in the seven minutes he received. 

Golden said after the game that he liked what he saw from his freshman, and was pleased he was able to get them out there. 

“I always see things I like out of both those guys. They're really good players,” Golden said. “These two guys, if things go as we plan, will be a huge part of our program as they move forward. I'm just pleased we were able to get them some time out there tonight."

Fan favorite Olivier Rioux also saw action over the final two minutes of the game, with his entrance sending the crowd into a frenzy. He also scored his first points as a Gator on Friday, making one of his two free throws of the night. 

By the final whistle, Florida left Exactech Arena with an 80-45 victory over Merrimack. 

Up Next

Florida heads out west to California to take part in the Rady Children’s Invitational. The Gators' first game in this invitational is on Nov. 27 against TCU. Following that game, they take on either Providence or Wisconsin on Nov. 28.