GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Marreese Speights scored 16 points, freshmen Adam Allen, Nick Calathes and Chandler Parsons added 15 apiece, and Florida broke a school record for consecutive home wins with a 93-65 victory over Tennessee Tech on Sunday.
The Gators (2-0) won their 21st in a row at the O’Connell Center, breaking the previous mark set in February 2006. Coach Billy Donovan’s program last lost at home against Tennessee on Feb. 22, 2006.
This team from Tennessee was no match for the two-time defending national champs.
Florida opened up a double-digit lead early, making the most of the 6-foot-10 Speights’ height advantage. Speights was 6-of-8 from the floor in the first half, scoring mostly on putbacks, layups and dunks. He also hit two short jumpers.
The Gators were up 50-30 at the break and extended it to 76-46 with about 7 minutes to play. They got help from just about everyone – mostly the freshmen.
Calathes added five rebounds and eight assists. Parsons had six assists. Jai Lucas added 13 points. And Alex Tyus chipped in eight points off the bench.
Speights’ presence down low opened up plenty of outside shots, and the Gators finished 9-of-17 from 3-point range.
The Gators won their second of four games in nine days – a stretch played in the inaugural Blue Ribbon Challenge. They finish the round-robin tournament with games next week against North Carolina Central and Rutgers.
Amadi McKenzie led the Golden Eagles (0-2) with 22 points and eight rebounds. Tennessee Tech shot 42 percent from the floor and finished with 22 turnovers – numbers that offset a small rebounding advantage.
Florida shot nearly 57 percent and was 18-of-22 from the free throw line.
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