Florida wins at Vanderbilt behind Xaivian Lee, Rueben Chinyelu

Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel on Jan 17, 2026

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Florida team managers forgot to pack Xaivian Lee’s jersey for the Gators’ visit to Vanderbilt.

But UF’s struggling shooting guard found his game to help deliver a 98-94 win against the No. 10 Commodores and finish on the road, where Todd Golden’s Gators have come up short late in games.

Lee’s 3-pointer with 45 seconds gave No. 19 Florida (13-5, 4-1 SEC) a 95-94 lead and proved the difference in the Gators’ first win since 1968 against a ranked Vanderbilt team in Nashville, Tenn.

A turnover by Commodores (16-2, 3-2) on the next possession ended with a Vanderbilt foul of Lee. Wearing a borrowed No. 99 jersey, rather than his usual No. 1, Lee missed the second of two free throws.

Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner then missed a driving layup, allowing Florida power forward Alex Condon to ice the game with two free throws with six seconds to go.

Lee finished with an SEC-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and had six rebounds, but the Princeton transfer shared the starring role with center Rueben Chinyelu.

The 6-foot-11, 265-pound center had 20 points, including a possession featuring four straight foul shots for the career 62.7% free-throw shooter after a flagrant foul. He also had 10 rebounds, completing his 10th double-double this season, as Florida held a 40-26 edge on the glass and 22-8 advantage in second-chance points.

Three other Gators scored in double figures during their third straight win against a ranked team, including 18 for Thomas Haugh and 16 for Condon.

In a hard-fought game featuring 17 lead changes and 14 ties, Tanner led Vanderbilt with 20 points as the Commodores dropped their second straight game after a 16-0 start.