NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Xaivian Lee’s step-back 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining on Saturday put 19th-ranked Florida ahead for good as the defending national champion Gators held off No. 10 Vanderbilt men’s basketball, 98-94, at Memorial Gymnasium.
Lee finished with 20 points and six rebounds, and Rueben Chinyelu posted 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Gators (13-5, 4-1 SEC). Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon chipped in with 18 and 16 points, respectively—both finished with eight boards as well—while Isaiah Brown also scored 14 points off the bench for Florida.
Tyler Tanner led the Commodores (16-2, 3-2 SEC) with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, adding five assists, as Duke Miles and AK Okereke each scored 15 points apiece for Vandy. Both Tyler Nickel and Jalen Washington posted 14 points also, and Tyler Harris finished with nine points in 11 minutes.
Vandy held the lead through most of the opening seven minutes of the contest, only to see the Gators put together a 17-2 run to go up 30-19 with nine minutes left before the break. However, from that point Tanner and Miles combined to score 17 points the rest of the half to spark a rally that ended up with the Dores in front 45-44 going to the locker room after Washington’s offensive rebound and short jumper at the buzzer.
Florida reestablished a nine-point advantage in the opening minutes after the break before the two teams traded the lead on seven occasions, with four ties as well, in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
The Gators finished with a 40-26 rebounding advantage, outscoring the Commodores 22-8 on second-chance points. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field overall and 35 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, with Vandy only turning the ball over four times on the afternoon.
The Dores return to the road on Tuesday with an 8 p.m. tipoff against No. 17 Arkansas, with the game in Fayetteville set to be broadcast on ESPN.
