Gators Men’s Basketball Defeats Milwaukee 81-45

The 24th ranked Florida men’s basketball team runs its record to 3-0 with an 81-45 win over the Milwaukee Panthers in the O’Connell Center Thursday night.

Gators Men’s Basketball (3-0)

The Gators were coming off a huge win over Florida State this past weekend, 71-55, that placed them in the AP Top 25 Poll and Florida guard Tyree Appleby says their momentum from that game carried over into this one.

Florida got off to a hot start as forward Colin Castleton had another standout performance for the Gators. The senior scored six of the 10 points the Gators scored early, setting the tone for Florida’s offense.

Castleton ended the night with another double-double performance, 19 points 10 rebounds, his fifth career double-double as a Gator. He had one against FSU as well.

Following behind Castleton, three Gators also landed in double-figures for the night.  Tyree Appleby added 14 points, while Anthony Duruji and Phlandrous Fleming Jr scored 12 points each.

Second Half

Entering the second half the Gators led 33-22. Appleby opened the half with a three point basket and the Gators got hot from there, going on a 32-4 run and they cruised to the win from there.  Castleton liked what he saw from his team in the second half.

“It was good. We came out a little flat shooting the ball, but we always preach that the shots are going to start going down. We all have confidence in ourselves and each other. Everybody has confidence. We just keep playing with that confidence and keep shooting the ball when we’re open, and don’t hesitate, we’ll be fine.

https://twitter.com/GatorsMBK/status/1461496487569879042

Milwaukee Panthers

Milwaukee (1-2) entered this match up coming off a 77-71 loss against Western Kentucky. Patrick Baldwin Jr. led the way for the Panthers with 13 points.

Up Next For The Gators

The Gators will next face the California Golden Bears on Monday in a tournament to be held in Ft. Myers.