Gators Travel to Athens to Play No. 24 Georgia on Thursday
Wednesday, February 13, 2008 | Women's Basketball
The Gators continue their two-game SEC road trip on Thursday, when the team travels to Athens, to play Georgia. Tip-off from Stegeman Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Both teams enter Thursday's contest with matching 4-5 SEC records and five regular-season league games remaining.
Two-Timers
Thursday's game is the second of two meetings this season against Georgia, as the Lady Bulldogs collected the 82-55 decision in Gainesville on January 24th.
Since Georgia's win over Florida, the Lady Bulldogs have compiled a 1-4 record, falling to Oklahoma, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and LSU, while earning a road win at Arkansas.
The Lady Dogs fell out of the Top 25 for the first time since Jan. 20, 2003. Those losses contributed to Georgia falling out of the Associated Press Top-25 poll for the first time since January 20, 2003. The Lady Dogs had a string of 98 consecutive weeks in the AP poll before the Feb. 10th edition was released. UGa is, however, ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches' Poll.
Florida has posted a 2-3 record since its setback to the Lady Bulldogs. The Gators felt they had the momentum on their side after defeating Auburn, 73-67, on Feb. 7, but dropped a tough 83-71 decision at Mississippi State on Feb. 10 in Starkville.
And Down the Stretch They Come...
Florida finished the first-half of its 14-game SEC schedule with a 3-4 record and got its second-half off to a great start, defeating Auburn, 73-67, but lost to Mississippi State in its next game to remain clumped in the middle of the 12-team conference standings ... tied for sixth with Georgia.
The Gators' FIVE remaining SEC games are against: Georgia (away), Arkansas (home), South Carolina (home), Tennessee (away) and Ole Miss (away).
The Florida-Georgia Series
Georgia holds a commanding 41-10 lead in the 51-game series against Florida and carries an eight-game win streak versus the Gators into Thursday's contest.
The last seven games, however, have been even more lopsided in favor of the Lady Dawgs, who have won those outings by an average of 26.1 points per game.
Florida has not defeated Georgia since sweeping the two-game regular-season series during the 2003-04 season, which included the 83-73 win in Athens on Jan. 18, 2004.
Florida's eight-game slide against Georgia is its longest active streak against SEC teams, with the three-game losing streak to Vanderbilt the next longest.
Valentine's Day Game
Florida sports a 3-6 all-time record when playing on Valentine's Day (incomplete date records unavailable for the 1974-75 and 1977-78 seasons). The last time the Gators suited up on February 14th, was in 2002, when Florida defeated Kentucky, 81-59.
Pre-Season Picks
The SEC coaches selected Florida to finish 11th in the 12-team league standings during the preseason vote, while Georgia was picked to place third.
The media poll was identical to the coaches' poll, with one change: picking the Gators to finish 10th and South Carolina to place 11th.
Dotson Joins Brooks in 1,000-Point Club
With 6:24 remaining in the game against Mississippi State (Feb. 10), junior Marshae Dotson eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau for her career, becoming the 20th Gator to reach the scoring milestone. Fellow classmate Sha Brooks topped the mark during the December 22 game against Saint Louis.
The last time the Gators took the court featuring two 1,000-point scorers was during the 1999-2000 season, when three players all topped the milestone: Tiffany Travis, Tonya Washington and Tamara Stocks … and all three eclipsed the mark during that same season.
Who's Hot?
In UF's last TWO games, Jennifer Mossor is contributing 18.5 points per game, hitting 7-of-12 from three-point arc and 15-of-25 overall. In the win against Auburn, the sophomore guard scored a then-season and team-high 17 points in the victory, before netting a career-high 20 points in Sunday's loss at Mississippi State.
Team Ties
A pair of Gators are natives of the Peach State. Freshman Ebonie Crawford hails from Decatur, Ga., located approximately 54 miles from Athens, while junior Susan Yenser (who is sitting out this season after transferring from Clemson), is from Marietta, 66 miles from the UG campus.
Now Wearing Orange & Blue...
Florida assistant coach Susie Gardner is a graduate of Georgia, earning her bachelor's degree in 1986 and her master's in 1988. As a four-year letterwinner (1982-86) under Andy Landers, Gardner was a member of the 1983 and 1985 Final Four teams that also won three SEC championships (1983, 1984 & 1986). She followed her playing career as a graduate assistant coach in Athens for two seasons, helping the Dawgs reach the NCAA Tournament both seasons.
During her tenure as a head coach at Austin Peay State University, Gardner coached the Lady Govs to the largest victory in program history - a 71-66 victory over then-No. 9 Georgia on Dec. 16, 1997 in Athens. Current head coach Amanda Butler was an assistant coach on Gardner's staff during that monumental upset.
Boarding School
Marshae Dotson leads Florida's rebound brigade, collecting 8.8 overall and 8.7 in SEC games. The 5-foot-11 forward is the SEC's fifth-leading rebounder for conference games, while ranking fifth in all games.
As a team, Florida has won the rebounding battle in 16 of its 24 games this season, including in two of its last three games against significantly taller teams (LSU and Auburn).
Last year, the Gators won the rebounding battle just 10 times.
Game Day Information
What: Game 25: Florida at Georgia
When: Thursday, February 14, 2008 * 7 p.m., ET
Where: Athens, Ga. * Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
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 Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (not available in Gainesville) with Matt Stewart & Robin Muller
Post-Game Satellite Feed: none
Stegeman Coliseum Press Row: 706-542-8052
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