No. 23 Florida handles Troy 84-45, remains unbeaten

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Myreon Jones and Tyree Appleby scored 12 points apiece, and No. 23 Florida remained unbeaten with a 84-45 victory over Troy on Sunday.

Florida (6-0) scored the first 13 points of the game and never relinquished its double-digit lead. Freshman Kowacie Reeves connected on a turnaround jumper at the first-half buzzer to give the Gators a 49-20 advantage, their largest of the game.

Florida leading scorer Colin Castleton finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Troy (4-3), which came into the game ranked 11th in the nation in steals, managed eight against Florida. Duke Deen, who entered averaging 13.3 points, led the Trojans with 10 points on 2-of-8 shooting. Troy committed a season-high-tying 21 turnovers.

Florida's Phlandrous Fleming made his first start of the season in place of Brandon McKissic and scored 11 points. McKissic suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday's win over Ohio State and came off the bench Sunday, finishing with 10 points.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Florida beat Ohio State 71-68 in Wednesday's championship game of the Fort Myers Tip-off on Appleby's long 3 at the buzzer. Sunday's win capped off a 3-0 week for the Gators, who are almost certain to rise in the rankings when the next AP Top 25 poll is released on Monday.

BIG PICTURE

Troy: Coach Scott Cross will look for his 250th career win on Wednesday.

Florida: Coach Mike White's decision to rework his roster via the transfer portal is paying early dividends. The Gators are off to their best start in White’s seven seasons.

UP NEXT

Troy: Hosts Rust College on Wednesday night.

Florida: At Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

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