UF Plays at Rutgers Monday in Women's Jimmy V Classic
Monday, December 7, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Florida received the honor of being selected to play in the Women's Jimmy V Classic, which the Gators will do so against Rutgers on Monday, when the two schools square off in front of a nationally televised audience, as ESPN2 airs the game with tip-off from The RAC scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Rutgers (5-4) has been led by senior Brittany Ray, who contributes team-highs of 15.6 points per game, along with 25 assists and 21 steals, and is the only player to start all nine games. Chelsey Lee collects a team-best seven rebounds with seven rebounds per outing, along with totaling 12 blocked shots.
The Scarlet Knights, led by Basketball Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, traditionally have been one of the top defensive teams in the country and this year's squad appears to be following that trend, allowing just 57.7 points per game and holding their opponents to a mere 33.8 percent shooting effort.
“Rutgers has a long history of being a great defensive team and you have to prepare for that and for the defensive intensity that they will bring, to the extent that you can,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “They take so much pride in their defensive effort. We know that their talent level is exceptional and we have to try and find those areas where we might be better and capitalize on those. That's what we've been focused on in practice, in addition to handling their pressure.”
Sophomore Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game for the Gators, who enter Monday's game with a total of 58 three-pointers, an average of 8.3 treys per game. Jones has accounted for 19 treys, while dishing 28 assists and 19 steals, also team-highs. Senior Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) leads the Gators' inside game, collecting 8.0 rebounds per outing along with 11.0 points, while being able to step outside and hit an impressive 11-of-24 from the three-point arc.
Jones has reached double-figures in five games, but the Gators have displayed their offensive balance, as five different players have assumed top team scoring honors through UF's first seven games of the season.
One of those five players is senior guard Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.), who is UF's leading returning scorer from last year, continues to prove she is more than just a three-point shooter, as evident in the Gators' most recent game when she scored eight points, while grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing a career-high seven assists and collecting two steals.
Florida (3-4) has had six days to recover from a busy stretch of playing four games in eight days that ended with a difficult, 72-71, home loss to Florida A&M on Dec. 1.
“Practice has been very good. It's been intense and challenging,” Butler said. “The best thing about it is that we've had more than two practices, which we've needed. It gave us a chance to improve and work on ourselves, which we haven't had the opportunity to do for a couple of weeks.”
The Gators are 0-2 this season against schools from the Big East Conference, falling at Pittsburgh, 81-58, and to St. John's, 61-47, in the first round of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. The Scarlet Knights are 1-1 versus teams from the Southeastern Conference, defeating Mississippi State, 62-54, at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and dropping a 49-48 decision at Georgia.
Monday will be the fourth meeting between Florida and Rutgers, with the Gators holding a 2-1 edge in the series. The Scarlet Knights won the most recent outing between the two programs, rallying to take the 88-71 decision on Nov. 18, 2006, in the consolation game of the Timeout for HIV/AIDS Classic hosted by Pepperdine in Malibu. Members of current senior class were freshmen that year. For the Gators, Sharielle Smith played just two minutes in that contest, while Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.), who will not suit up for Monday's game due to injury, saw 23 minutes of court time, contributing five assists that remains her all-time top performance. A trio of current Knights saw action in that game, with Brittany Ray scoring 20 points and Myia McCurdy and Rashidat Junaid both adding six points and three rebounds. Florida's coach for that game was Carolyn Peck, who will be providing ESPN2's color commentary for Monday's game.
Game Day Information - Jimmy V Classic
What: Women's Jimmy V Classic featuring Florida (3-4) at Rutgers (5-4)
When: Monday, December 7, 2009 * 7 p.m.
Where: Piscataway, N.J. * Louis Brown Athletic Center - “The RAC” (8,000)
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: ESPN360.com
Television: ESPN2 with Dave O'Brien, Carolyn Peck and Rebecca Lobo
Post-Game Satellite Feed: none
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