Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (11/12/2026) — The Florida Gators opened the 2026 season with a commanding 83-54 victory over the Merrimack Warriors at Tower Hill Arena on Thursday night, riding balanced scoring, dominant rebounding, and a punishing second-half run to dispatch their non-conference opponent before 10,264 fans.
How It Happened
The game's early moments offered a brief hint of competition. Merrimack's AJ Lesburt Jr. drained a 26-foot three-pointer off a Todd Brogna assist just 51 seconds in to give the Warriors a 3-2 lead, and Ayden Johnson's 15-foot pullup at the 18:36 mark pushed Merrimack ahead 5-4. Florida reset quickly. Alex Lloyd connected from 25 feet — assisted by Alex Condon — to put the Gators back in front at 7-5, and the lead would not change hands again.
Florida built steadily through the first half. Urban Klavzar's 25-foot triple at 16:05 and Denzel Aberdeen's 31-footer at 15:08 stretched the margin to 15-9. Isaiah Brown's tip-in dunk at 10:18 pushed it to 21-13, and Lloyd's second deep three of the half — this one off an Aberdeen assist — made it 24-13 at 8:58. Rueben Chinyelu delivered two emphatic finishes in the final 40 seconds of the half: a 3-foot dunk off Lloyd's feed, then a 4-footer off Klavzar's assist. Florida took a 43-26 lead into the locker room.
Merrimack's Denver Anglin showed fight — hitting back-to-back three-pointers in the first-half stretch from 8:10 to 6:34 to trim the deficit to nine — but Florida's interior advantage was simply too significant to sustain any run against.
The second half belonged entirely to the Gators. Haugh threw down an alley-oop dunk at the 13:06 mark to push the lead to 54-28, then Lloyd buried another 25-footer off Haugh's assist to make it 57-28. Florida's 15-0 run — turning a 48-28 edge into a 61-30 advantage — was the knockout sequence that turned the final minutes into a formality.
Turning Point
Florida's 15-0 run in the second half was the definitive sequence. Beginning from a 48-28 lead and stretching to 61-30, the Gators attacked relentlessly in the paint while Merrimack found no answer. The Warriors shot 40% from three on the night — a creditable figure — but were overwhelmed on the boards, where Florida held a 39-17 rebounding advantage. That gap in the glass made second chances nonexistent for Merrimack and kept Florida's possession counts high throughout the second period.
Star of the Game
Alex Condon was Florida's most complete performer, finishing with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The big man scored at the rim and facilitated for teammates in equal measure — his assist to Lloyd for a first-half three and his feed setting up a Chinyelu dunk illustrated how effectively he operates at the high post. Thomas Haugh matched Condon with 15 points and 6 rebounds, adding an alley-oop finish in the second half. Rueben Chinyelu contributed 12 points and 6 boards, and Alex Lloyd's 11 points included multiple three-pointers that extended Florida leads at critical moments.
For Merrimack, Lesburt Jr. led all scorers with 16 points on three second-half threes, showing range and shot-making ability against high-major competition. Anglin added 14 points and Johnson distributed 4 assists alongside 8 points.
What It Means
Florida's performance signals a team built to pressure opponents on multiple fronts. Shooting 52% from the field while generating 19 assists on the night, the Gators moved the ball freely and punished Merrimack with consistent interior finishing — dunks and layups made up a significant portion of their scoring total. Four players reaching double figures in the opener suggests the roster depth to weather minutes distribution throughout a long season.
Merrimack fell to 0-1 facing a significant step up in competition. Lesburt Jr. and Anglin demonstrated they can generate offense against high-major defenses, and the Warriors' 40% three-point shooting reflects genuine perimeter skill. The challenge for Merrimack going forward will be building the rebounding and defensive resistance necessary to stay competitive when shooting nights aren't their best — against Florida, the gap on the boards proved insurmountable.
