Florida used a dominant second-half performance to secure a 90-78 victory over Providence on Friday in the third-place game at the Rady Children’s Invitational. The No. 10 Gators (5-2) bounced back from Thursday’s narrow 84-80 loss to TCU, showing resilience and offensive firepower.
Xaivian Lee led the way for Florida with a game-high 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Lee’s hot shooting helped Florida extend a 45-39 halftime lead to 61-47 early in the second half. Consecutive 3-pointers from Lee and Boogie Fland, coupled with a jumper and putback from Lee, set the tone. A later 10-0 run, featuring Lee’s floater, Urban Klavzar’s 3-pointer, and Thomas Haugh’s three-point play, ultimately put the game out of reach.
The Gators’ frontcourt continued to shine, with Haugh recording 16 points and 12 rebounds and Reuben Chinyelu posting 13 points and 10 boards, marking his fourth double-double in five games. Florida’s frontcourt has already accounted for 11 double-doubles this season, narrowly missing a 12th after Chinyelu fell one rebound short in Thursday’s loss to TCU.
Urban Klavzar added 18 points, while Fland contributed 17, rounding out Florida’s balanced scoring effort.
Providence (4-4), still reeling from a 104-83 loss to Wisconsin on Thursday, got 17 points from Ryan Mela and saw four other players reach double figures: Jaylin Sellers with 14, Jason Edwards 13, Corey Floyd Jr. 12, and Stefan Vaaks 10. However, the Friars couldn’t overcome Florida’s second-half surge despite cutting the deficit to 65-57.
Florida’s next challenge comes Tuesday night when the Gators visit No. 4 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Providence will host Fairleigh Dickinson on the same night.
