Women's Basketball Concludes Road Trip Friday at Old Dominion
Thursday, December 10, 2009 | Women's Basketball
The University of Florida women's basketball team looks to return to its winning ways on Friday, when the Gators travel to play Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
The radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WBXY-FM 99.5 and free of charge thru the internet at www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators. Old Dominion will provide live streaming video through www.odusports.com for a one-game fee of $7.95.
Florida will be aiming to reverse a couple of trends when the team takes on Old Dominion Friday night. The game played at the always-tough Ted Constant Convocation Center will be the Gators' fourth road game in their five contests and the trip hasn't been kind, as Florida enters Friday's game against Old Dominion with a 1-3 record during that span. Florida's lone win during the stretch actually came on the road, where the Gators defeated FIU, 71-60, on the Golden Panther's home court in the consolation game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 29.
The usually potent Gator offense has hit a bit of a drought recently, averaging just 56.8 points over the last four games, with two 71-point outings bookended by 47 and 38-point showings. As a team, Florida (3-5) is hitting just 34.6 percent of its shots during the stretch, including a 28.2 percent (31-110) effort from beyond the three-point arc.
Old Dominion has one of the best home court environments in women's college basketball, as the cozy Ted Constant Convocation Center seats 8,600 fans and the Lady Monarchs are drawing an average of 3,510 to games this season. The current venue replaced the historic Old Dominion Fieldhouse, where the team compiled a remarkable 383-74 all-time record for an 83.8 winning percentage.
The Lady Monarchs enter Friday's game with a deceiving 1-5 overall record, as all but one of their losses have come against teams receiving votes in the national polls. Old Dominion's most recent game was its first win of the year, as the Lady Monarchs knocked off Ole Miss, 75-66, on Dec. 6 in Norfolk. ODU rallied from a 12-point deficit to collect the hard-fought victory in a game that featured nine lead changes and 11 tied scores.
UCF transfer Tia Lewis has been nearly unstoppable in ODU's last two games, when she led the team to its first win of the year with 15 points and 17 rebounds against Ole Miss on Dec. 6, before she provided 24 points and six rebounds in the 82-75 loss to Louisville, Nov. 28. Overall, Lewis is contributing 12.0 points and 9.2 rebounds, but it's Shadasia Green who leads the overall scoring chart with 12.7 points per game, along with 7.0 rebounds and shooting a team-best 48.4 percent from the floor.
Sophomore guard Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) leads the Gators in scoring (13.3 ppg), assists (32), three-pointers (20) and steals (19), while senior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) collects a team-best 7.8 rebounds to accompany 10.1 points per game. Senior guard Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) continues her all-around game, contributing 7.8 points and 6.5 rebounds, along with 27 assists and 13 steals.
Friday marks the second meeting between the two programs, with Old Dominion taking the heart-breaking 53-51 decision on March 24, 1997. That loss marked the end of the greatest season in Gator women's basketball history, as the team had marched into the NCAA Regional Final.
That game also was the last game Amanda Butler stood on the sideline as an assistant coach for the Gators. Following the 1996-97 season, Butler became the top assistant at Austin Peay State University, which was under the direction of Susie Gardner, who is now a Florida assistant coach.
Following Friday's game against the Lady Monarchs, the Gators will take a nine-day break for final exams, which get underway on Monday, Dec. 14.
Susan Yenser (Mariette, Ga.) will graduate with her bachelor's degree in Management on Dec. 19. Yenser was accepted into UF's Information Systems & Operations Management (ISOM) program and begins coursework toward a master's degree in January of 2010.
Game Day Information
What: Florida (3-5) at Old Dominion (1-5)
When: Friday, December 11, 2009 * 7 p.m.
Where: Norfolk, Va. * Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,600)
Radio: LIVE on WBXY-FM (The Star 99.5) in Gainesville with Adam Schick
Internet Audio: LIVE thru GatorZone.com (FREE of charge)
Internet Video: LIVE thru Monarch TV - www.odusports.com ($7.95)
Television: none
Post-Game Satellite Feed: none
Ted Constant Convocation Center Press Row: 732-445-4200
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