With a 38-point lead late in the second half, “We want Oli” chants rained from the crowd from Gators fans, who were hoping for 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux to check into the game.
With two minutes left in the game, the fans got their wish.
Rioux scored his first career point at the free throw line in the Gators’ (4-1) 80-45 victory against Merrimack (2-4) Friday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida dominated on the glass and off the bench, giving Rioux the opportunity to make his second career appearance.
“Really proud that he made one,” Todd Golden said. “There wasn't a lot there, probably five possessions, but he did the best he could do in those minutes.”
At the break, the Gators were outrebounding the Warriors 30-12 and outscoring them 24-10 in paint points. Florida finished Friday's game with an 11-3 advantage in second chance points.
Chinyelu put up 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go along with 21 rebounds, the most from a Gator during the shot clock era. He also had two blocks and a steal. Condon ended his night with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 11 rebounds.
The pair’s double-double marked the fourth time this season Florida had multiple players record a double-double in a game. The two also combined for 9 of Florida’s first 11 points and finished the first half with 19 rebounds and 19 points.
Alongside Florida’s big men, Haugh finished the night with 13 points and Boogie Fland recorded 10 points to round out Florida’s double-digit scorers.
Florida’s bench played an important role in maintaining the commanding lead.
Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown made an impact in the first half, where they combined for three 3-pointers. Brown also made his presence known on the defensive end, finishing the contest with a team-leading two blocks, one of which was a chase-down on Kevair Kennedy with 2:43 left in the first half.
“He’s playing really well right now,” Golden said. "He's in a great headspace, has a great understanding of what we need from him in that role.”
As a whole, Florida's physicality on defense slowed down Merrimack’s offense.
Ernest Shelton, who came into the night as the reigning MAAC Player of the Week and averaging 21 points a game, was held to 3 points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field. The Warriors finished the night shooting 29% from the field and 16% from beyond the arc.
“We made it really hard on him, and that’s a good player,” Golden said.
Florida’s freshman made appearances after sitting out against Miami. CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd combined for eight points on 2-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Alex Kovatchev made his first appearance off the bench, and Viktor Mikic recorded 2 points and three rebounds in five minutes.
Following the win, Florida will travel to San Diego to take part in the Rady Children’s Invitational against Texas Christian on Nov. 27.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
