Florida Defeats Tennessee Tech, 93-65

box score

Gainesville, Fla. – Sophomore center Marreese Speights (St. Petersburg, Fla.) scored 16 points and four freshmen scored in double figures as the Florida men’s basketball team broke a school record for consecutive home wins with a 93-65 victory over Tennessee Tech Sunday in second-round action at the Blue Ribbon Challenge.

The Gators (2-0) won their 21st contest in a row at the O'Connell Center, breaking the previous mark set in February 2006.

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 on an array of 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 seven minutes to play. They got help from just about everyone, receiving key contributions from the freshmen.

First-year players Nick Calathes (Winter Park, Fla.), Chandler Parsons (Winter Park, Fla.) and Adam Allen (Milton, Fla.) scored 15 points apiece.

Calathes added five rebounds and eight assists and Parsons chipped in six assists. Jai Lucas (Houston, Texas) added 13 points, all in the second half. Frontcourt freshman Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) 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. Speights and Tyus wreaked havoc on the defensive side of the ball, both recording two blocks.

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.

Florida shot nearly 57 percent from the field and was 18-of-22 from the free throw line.