Florida Gators
Flagler
Men's Basketball Routs Flagler, 97-51
Friday, November 2, 2007 | Men's Basketball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Marreese Speights (St. Petersburg, Fla.) had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Nick Calathes (Winter Park, Fla.) added 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and two-time defending national champion Florida downed Flagler, 97-51, in an exhibition game Thursday night at the O' Connell Center.
All the freshmen scored in double figures in their debut, led by Calathes - a McDonald's All-American and Florida's Mr. Basketball the last two years. Calathes finished his first game in a Florida uniform two assists shy of a triple-double.
Fellow freshman Chandler Parsons (Winter Park, Fla.) scored 18 points, Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) added 12 points and nine rebounds, Jai Lucas (Houston, Texas) had 11 points and Adam Allen (Milton, Fla.) chipped in 10.
The 6-10 Speights took advantage of his height and showed off a shooting touch around the basket that resulted in a 10-of-13 performance from the field. He made the most of a height advantage against the NAIA Division II Saints, whose tallest player was three inches shorter than Speights. The Gators outrebounded Flagler 59-33.
Florida showed plenty of outside shooting ability, finishing 8-of-24 from behind the arc. Calathes, Parsons and Allen combined for four three-pointers during a 14-0 run that broke the game open in the first half.
Florida wraps up the exhibition slate Monday when it plays host at 7 p.m. against Lynn. Coverage can be seen at www.GatorZone.com. GatorVision Online subscribers will be able to view the contest live via the Internet.
