GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Xaivian Lee scored 18 points, Alex Condon added 14, and No. 23 Florida got a break from one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country with a 102-61 victory against Saint Francis on Wednesday night.
The Gators (7-4) never trailed while dominating every aspect of their first home game in nearly a month.
Florida made 15 of its first 20 shots while building a 20-point lead and enjoyed enough of a cushion that coach
Todd Golden was able to get his bench extended minutes.
Students started chanting for 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux with more than six minutes to play. The world’s tallest teenager — standing 15 inches taller than any of his opponents — entered in the final minutes and got a dunk for his first collegiate field goal.
Rueben Chinyelu added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Florida. Boogie Fland and Urban Klavzar chipped in 11 points apiece for the defending national champions, who have losses to three teams now ranked in the top five: Arizona, Duke and UConn.
Saint Francis (2-10) lost by at least 25 points for the seventh time this season. The Red Flash entered the game ranked 361st out of 365 Division I teams in KenPom ratings, making them the worst team to visit the O’Connell Center in the KenPom era (since 1996-97).
The Red Flash entered the game as 45 ½-point underdogs according to BetMGM Sportsbook and trailed by as many as 25 in the first half. The Gators stretched their lead to 61-31 shortly after the break and piled on from there.
Skylar Wicks, a senior attending his fifth school, led Saint Francis with 22 points. He took 22 of the team’s 63 shots.
Saint Francis hosts Robert Morris on Saturday.
Florida hosts Colgate on Sunday.
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