Gators Host South Carolina on Sunday in Home Finale at 1 p.m. (NOTE TIME)
Friday, February 22, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Florida returns to the court after a much-needed mid-week break from competition. The Gators play host to South Carolina on Sunday in the team's regular-season home finale. Tip-off, which is earlier than usual, is slated for 1 p.m.
South Carolina has lost its last two games entering Sunday's affair, including Thursday's tough 58-54 decision to Mississippi State, who didn't solidify the win until the final seconds of the game.
A Break Does a Gator Good
The Gators have had three “breaks” during the season and responded from each of those with a win.
In the game immediately following its first SEC bye, Florida overpowered Arkansas, 92-74, in Fayetteville on January 13th.
After a 12-day break for final exams, the Gators earned a 80-76 overtime win against TCU on December 16th. The first time Florida returned to the court after the holiday break also produced a victory, as the Gators defeated Holy Cross, 66-52, in the first round of the State Farm Classic on December 28th.
Pre-Game Salute
Depree Bowden, the lone senior on the 2007-08 squad, will be recognized during a ceremony prior to the start of Sunday's game against South Carolina.
Head Coach Amanda Butler has praised Bowden throughout the season for her leadership skills, especially during the team's transition to a new coaching staff during the off-season.
Bowden's game has really exploded in the last two seasons, when she has totaled 738 of her 898 career points. Last year, she doubled if not tripled every personal statistical category and is on-par with those numbers again during her final campaign. Bowden has tallied 19 double-figure scoring games this season, hitting the 20-point mark four times.
What's Next For Bowden?
Depree Bowden will graduate on May 3, 2008, with a bachelor's degree in Criminology and plans to attend graduate school.
Senior Day Send-Off
The Gators have won their final home game each of the last two seasons, making it a memorable send-off for their seniors playing in the O'Connell Center for the final time.
Seniors Kim Dye and Briana Phillips enjoyed the 83-79 win over Kentucky last year, while the quartet of Brittany Davis, Dalila Eshe, Sarah Lowe and Danielle Santos helped make program history, as Florida upset No. 2 LSU, 79-78, in the 2005-06 home finale, marking the highest-ranked team the Gators have ever defeated.
Three Straight Senior Day Celebrations
The Gators will honor their lone senior, Depree Bowden, prior to Sunday's game. UF's contest on Feb. 28 in Knoxville against Tennessee will be the Lady Vols' final home game, while the March 2 game in Oxford versus Ole Miss will be the Lady Rebels' last home contest of the regular season.
And Down the Stretch They Come...
Including Sunday's game against South Carolina, Florida has just three regular-season games remaining. Following the contest against the Gamecocks, the Gators play their final two on the road, traveling to Tennessee on February 28 before facing Ole Miss on March 2 in Oxford.
Not one of the seeds for the 12-team SEC Tournament have been solidified, so every game becomes all the more important, as teams continue jockeying for higher SEC Tournament seedings and postseason possibilities.
Home Sweet Home
Thirteen of Florida's 16 wins this season have come within the friendly confines of the O'Connell Center, where they sport a 13-4 record this season. The 13 wins rank as the third most home wins in program history. The 1997-98 squad (when Amanda Butler was a UF assistant coach) ended the year with a 16-0 record that included two wins in the NCAA Tournament, while the 1993-94 Gator team (Amanda Butler's senior year), compiled a 14-0 mark.
The Gators had won eight consecutive home games before their January 24th loss to Georgia. The eight-game home win streak tied for the fifth-longest in program history.
Two-Timers
Sunday's game is the second of two meetings this season against South Carolina, with Florida earning the thrilling 60-57 victory in Columbia on January 27th.
The Florida-South Carolina Series
Florida, which leads the all-time series 15-8, snapped a two-game slide against South Carolina with its 60-57 win on January 27th in Columbia. The Gamecocks, however, still have won four of the last seven meetings.
The last time the two teams met in Gainesville, South Carolina dominated Florida in a 81-63 decision, the Gamecocks largest margin of victory in the series since the initial two meetings during the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.
Pre-Season Picks
The SEC coaches selected Florida to finish 11th in the 12-team league standings during the preseason vote, while South Carolina was picked to place 10th.
The media poll was identical to the coaches' poll, with one change: picking the Gators to finish 10th and South Carolina to place 11th.
Who's Hot?
In UF's last FOUR games, Jennifer Mossor is contributing a team-best 16.5 points per game, hitting 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three-point arc and 25-of-50 (50%) overall. In the win against Auburn, the sophomore guard scored a team-high 17 points in the victory, before netting a career-high 20 points in Sunday's loss at Mississippi State. Mossor then equaled that scoring outburst with a game-leading 20 points against Arkansas on February 17th.
In Florida's last FIVE games, Sha Brooks has converted 20-of-22 free throws (90.9%), including her 2-of-2 effort with 1.2 seconds remaining in the thrilling 75-73 victory over Arkansas on February 17.
Scouting South Carolina
While the Gators played the Gamecocks earlier this season, South Carolina is a very different team now than it was 28 days ago.
One of the biggest differences is the return of senior Lakeska Tolliver to the lineup. The 6-foot-3 forward missed the first five SEC games with a medical issue, but has jumped right back onto the court, extending USC's already deep bench.
Tolliver's presence in the starting lineup means the Gamecocks starting frontcourt features players standing 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-6. Florida's projected starting lineup does not feature a 6-footer.
As one of the tallest teams in the SEC, it should come as no surprise that the Gamecocks lead the league in rebounding margin, at +5.2 per game, collecting 14.45 on the offensive end alone.
Leading the team's rebounding prowess has been Demetress Adams, who is tied for second in the SEC with 9.4 rebounds per league contest.
Freshman Jordan Jones continues to lead a balanced scoring attack, contributing 10.8 per SEC game, just ahead of Adams' and Ilona Burgrova's 10.5 points per game mark. Jones' has canned a team-high 26 treys in conference contests.
Tough When it's Tight
Florida holds a 6-2 record this season in games decided by five points or less, including last Sunday's 75-73 thriller against Arkansas, and is 8-2 in games decided by six points or fewer.
Back in Focus
Florida is hitting 81.1 percent (77-95) of its free throws over the last FIVE games, a welcomed relief after struggling with a 63.2-percent mark in its first six SEC games. That sub-par effort included UF's two-point loss at Kentucky (Jan. 10) where the Gators were just 13-of-20 from the line and the 10-point setback to Vanderbilt (Jan. 31), when UF missed 11 free throws, hitting 14-of-25.
During the non-conference portion of their scheduled, the Gators shot a steady 71.5 percent from the free throw line, ranking among the league leaders from the charity stripe.
Game Day Information
What: Game 27: Florida hosts South Carolina
When: Sunday, February 24, 2008 * 1 p.m., ET
Where: Gainesville, Fla. * Stephen C. O'Connell Center (12,000)
Radio: LIVE on WRUF-FM 103.7 (Rock 104) in with Steve Babik & Brittany Davis
Internet Audio: LIVE thru GatorZone.com (FREE of charge)
GatorVision Online: none
Television: LIVE on Sun Sports (COX Cable channel 48 in Gainesville) with Mick Hubert & Mark Wise
Post-Game Satellite Feed: none
Tickets: Reserved Seating - $5.00; General Admission - $4 Adults & $2 youth age 17 & under; UF Students are FREE
Additional Game-Day Hoopla
Alltel Bag Giveaway – The first 1,000 fans will receive Alltel bags.
Senior Day – Senior Depree Bowden will be recognized prior to the game.
Scout Day – All area Boy & Girl Scouts have been invited to attend and will receive free admission and reserved seating if they RSVP. All scouts in attendance will receive a free hot dog and drink.
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