It took several months, but the volunteers finally fell.

No. 8 Florida completely overhauled top-ranked Tennessee on Tuesday night with a huge statement win for the Gators. Florida earned a commanding 73-43 victory over Tennessee at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, marking the Volunteers’ first loss of the season. It was the first time in program history that Florida defeated a No. 1 home team.

That paved the way for a new team to overtake them in the rankings next week and kept the door open in the SEC after the Vols’ historic start.

Florida dominated the first half, taking a 34-15 lead in the first 20 minutes. The Gators also held Tennessee to just 4 of 29 from the field and 0 of 14 from distance in the first half. The Vols didn’t get on the field until a free throw from Felix Okpara nearly seven minutes into the game. Nothing worked at all.

Although Tennessee improved slightly in the second half, it was far too late. Florida still came out of the locker room with a 30-15 lead and tied the game with more than five minutes left. Tennessee was way too far gone to make a difference.

Alijah Martin led the Gators with 18 points and six rebounds, and Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points off the bench. Florida scored just 6 of 20 from the 3-point line but outscored Tennessee by 18 points.

Chaz Lanier led Tennessee with 10 points and seven rebounds after shooting 1 of 9 from the 3-point line. Zakai Zeigler was the only other player to score in double figures. He had 10 points and one rebound and made 1 of 6 from behind the arc. Tennessee finished the game as a team shooting just 21% from the field and 4 of 29 from the 3-point line.

Tennessee had been the top-ranked team in the country for over a month. The Vols entered conference play with several big wins, including double-digit victories over Louisville, Baylor, Syracuse and Miami. They even beat then-No. 23 Arkansas on Saturday by 24 points, making them 14-0 for the first time in more than 100 years.

The Gators came in Tuesday night needing to make a statement. Although they started the season a perfect 12-0, they didn’t play a single ranked team during that stretch. Then they fell to No. 10 Kentucky in their SEC opener on Saturday.

But after Tuesday evening, it’s clear that their start was no coincidence. While Tennessee will be fine after putting this night behind them, the Gators are clearly ready to compete with the SEC’s top tier.