No. 20/24 Gators Host No. 16/19 Pittsburgh on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Saturday, December 20, 2008 | Women's Basketball
One of the biggest women's basketball games the O'Connell Center has hosted in the last several years takes place on Sun., Dec. 21, when No. 20/24 Florida entertains No. 16/19 Pittsburgh beginning at 2 p.m.
The game, which will be televised live on Sun Sports & Fox College Sports state-wide (COX Cable channel 48 in Gainesville), features several streaks held by both teams.
The Gators lost their first game of the year, an 88-86 decision at Florida Gulf Coast, but have bounced back to win every game since that Nov. 14 setback and ride into Sunday's game on a 10-game win streak, the third longest in program history.
Similarly, the Panthers opened their season with a loss to then-No. 10 Texas A&M, 56-50, in Baton Rouge, La., yet have not lost since, building a 9-1 record to enter the O'Connell Center aiming to win their 10th straight and snap Florida's 13-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents.
"Our players know what a fantastic opportunity this is to have a program the caliber of Pitt's come to the O'Connell Center and play in front of our home fans," said UF's second-year head coach Amanda Butler, whose team is 2-0 against ranked teams this season. "This should be a great battle."
The Gators haven't played a game in nine days, but it doesn't mean they've been resting, as final exams began on Fri., Dec. 12 and continued through Fri., Dec. 19. Pittsburgh has had the opposite type of schedule entering Sunday's outing, as the game against the Gators will be the team's fourth in the last nine days, including Friday's 89-59 win over Florida A&M in Tallahassee.
The Rattlers also happened to be Florida's last opponent, with the Gators earning the 77-55 victory on Dec. 12 paced by a team-high 12 points from senior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.).
Brooks leads the balanced Gator offensive attack, averaging 12.1 points with 3.6 assists per game. In Florida's two games this season against ranked opponents, Brooks is averaging 24.5 points, while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor (15-27) and 85 percent from the free throw line (17-20).
At 5-foot-11, Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) is Florida's tallest starter, but still leads the frontcourt, where she scores 11.5 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds, while shooting 60 percent from the floor.
Entering Sunday's game against Pittsburgh, the Gator offense is lighting up the scoreboard for 74.2 points per game, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field - the top percentage among all SEC teams this season and the fourth-highest mark in the country.
Defensively, Florida is limiting its opponents to a 34.5 percent shooting accuracy this season and has won the rebounding battle in seven of its 11 games, including each of its first six.
Pittsburgh boasts one of the nation's top offenses and defenses this season, ranking among the country's top-15 teams in 11 different statistical categories, including scoring offense (81.8 ppg), scoring defense (49.8 ppg) rebound margin (+15.6) and assists (19.0 pg).
Seniors Shavonte Zellous and Xenia Stewart headline an extremely balanced - and tall - team featuring several young stars that includes sophomores Taneisha Harrison and Shayla Scott, as well as 6-foot-6 freshman Pepper Wilson. Those five have comprised the starting lineup recently, and all except 5-foot-11 Zellous, who averages 20 points per game, is at least 6-feet tall. (Florida's starting lineup does NOT feature one 6-footer.)
Pittsburgh's height advantage led to a dominating performance against FAMU on Friday, when the team held a 52-35 rebounding advantage and limited the Rattlers, who out-rebounded the Gators, to just one field goal in almost the first eight minutes of the game. Stewart went for a game-high 27 points, while Zellous added 21, hitting 10-of-12 from the free throw stripe.
The Panthers have raced through the early portion of their schedule with just one loss, all without the services of speedy veteran point guard Jania Sims, who sprained her MCL in the season-opener. The tentative return time for an injury of this nature is 4-6 weeks, so Sims' return to the court for Sunday is possible.
Sunday will be just the second meeting between Florida and Pittsburgh. The last time the two schools met, the Panthers took the 72-68 win on its home court back on Dec. 20, 1984 - also the final game UF played that season prior to taking a break for the winter holiday.
Dating back to the 1978-79 season, Florida has posted a 14-16 record in its last game played prior to taking a break for the winter holiday. This is the sixth consecutive year the Gators have played their final pre-winter break game at home, where the team has produced a 3-2 record in those contests.
Game Day Information
What: Florida (10-1) hosts Pittsburgh (9-1)
When: Sunday, December 21, 2008 * 2 p.m.
Where: Gainesville, Fla. * Stephen C. O'Connell Center (12,000)
Radio: LIVE on WRUF AM850 in Gainesville - audio simulcast on Cox Channel 96 with Steve Babik & Steve Russell
Internet Audio: LIVE thru GatorZone.com (FREE of charge)
GatorVision Online: none
Television: LIVE on Sun Sports & Fox College Sports state-wide (COX cable channel 48 in Gainesville) with Mick Hubert & Mark Wise
Post-Game Satellite Feed: none
Tickets: Reserved Seating: $5 - All; General Admission: $4 - Adults, $2 - Seniors age 55 and older & Youth age 17 & under; FREE - UF Students with valid ID
Parking: there is no charge or reserved section for parking in the O'Connell Center lot on the weekend or beginning at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays
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