Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Florida, ranked 23rd nationally, picked up a big 102-61 win over St. Francis on Wednesday night, providing relief from one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the country.
Xavion Lee led the Gators with 18 points, while Alex Condon contributed 14 in a game where Florida never trailed.
The Gators, now 7-4, demonstrated their superiority from the start in their first home game in nearly a month. They converted 15 of their first 20 shots and immediately took a 20-point lead.
This comfortable margin allowed coach Todd Golden to increase minutes for his bench players, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Students started raising slogans for the 7 foot 9 center olivier rioux with more than six minutes remaining, and world’s tallest teenager Ultimately entered the game scoring his first collegiate field goal with a dunk.
Further contributions for Florida came from Ruben Chinyelu, who added 12 points and 11 rebounds, with Boogie Fland and Urban Clawzar each scoring 11 points.
The defending national champions have had four losses this season against formidable opponents, including three teams currently ranked in the top five: Arizona, Duke and UConn.
In contrast, St. Francis (2-10) suffered its seventh loss by at least 25 points this season.
The Red Flash entered the tournament ranked 361st out of 365 Division I teams in the KenPom ratings, marking them as the lowest-ranked opponent to visit the O’Connell Center in the KenPom era, dating back to the 1996–97 season.
They were 45 ½-point underdogs according to BetMGM Sportsbook and trailed by as many as 25 points in the first half, with Florida increasing its lead to 61-31 shortly after the break.
Skylar Wicks, a senior, was St. Francis’ top scorer with 22 points, taking 22 of her team’s 63 shots.
St. Francis is set to host Robert Morris on Saturday, while Florida will welcome Colgate on Sunday.