GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- In a scene that will surely become more familiar as the Florida program keeps developing, the Gators struggled for a while Saturday, then Brett Nelson took over.

Nelson, the freshman point guard from West Virginia, hit three 3-pointers over a key 2½-minute stretch to help No. 12 Florida pull away from Georgia for an 85-66 victory.

The Gators (17-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) won their third straight thanks to Nelson's shooting and a never-ending full-court defense that forced 30 turnovers and slowly wore down an undermanned opponent.

Georgia (9-13, 2-7) dropped its fourth straight and ninth of its last 11. Florida's bench outscored Georgia's 54-10.

Nelson was the difference. Coming off the bench for the struggling Teddy Dupay, Nelson shot 6-for-10 to lead the Gators with 17 points. He also had three assists and five steals.

"Nelson held the key today," Georgia coach Jim Harrick said. "He kind of sparked them, got them moving."

His most critical stretch came with Florida leading 51-42 midway through the second half. Nelson sandwiched three 3-pointers around layups by fellow freshmen Justin Hamilton and Donnell Harvey to help the Gators extend their lead to 64-46.

Georgia got the deficit down to 13 with five minutes remaining, but Nelson had a pair of free throws, a steal and an assist to trigger a 9-0 run and extinguish any comeback hopes.

Thus capped one of the best performances in a season mixed with success and frustration for the freshman, who has struggled to find playing time on a roster deep with talent.

"I'm getting more comfortable every game," Nelson said. "I'm trying to figure out what coach wants out of me. It has been up-and-down at times. But every game is a new learning experience. I just have to keep learning and doing what he tells me."

All Billy Donovan wants is a more controlled version of the prep star who lit up the high school courts of West Virginia during a career that drew comparisons to the state's best schoolboy player, Jerry West.

"Brett is as gifted as anyone on our team or any point guard in the country," Donovan said. "His biggest thing is figuring out the type of passes and decisions that he has to make at this level."

The loss spoiled a 17-point effort from Shon Coleman, who is averaging 17.5 points over the last four games for the Bulldogs.

Anthony Evans had 13 points and seven rebounds for Georgia. Teammate D.A. Layne had 17 points and seven assists, but also committed seven turnovers against a Florida press that eventually sapped Georgia's spirit.

"I don't think we've ever had 30 turnovers before," Harrick said. "But when you've got a freshman point guard and one starter who's played Division I basketball, that makes it show up like that."

Mike Miller scored all 10 of his points in the first half for the Gators. Dupay had just three points in 13 minutes of play.

Harvey had 16 for Florida, including a thunderous dunk with 14 seconds remaining that gave the Gators their 85th point and sent fans home with ticket stubs good for free fast-food hamburgers.