Florida Plays at South Carolina Sunday at 3 p.m.
Saturday, January 8, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Florida plays its sixth true road game of the year - second in the Southeastern Conference - and continues its quest of a win away from home when the Gators battle South Carolina on Sunday at the Colonial Life Arena at 3 p.m. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WBXY-FM 99.5 “The Star” and thru the internet at www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
Florida is 0-5 when playing on an opponent's home turf this season, including its most recent outing when the team had its five-point halftime lead quickly erased, as Auburn dominated the second half of Thursday's game en route to the 73-56 decision in the new Auburn Arena.
South Carolina rallied from an 18-point deficit and Ieasia Walker nailed two free throws with two seconds remaining to give South Carolina the stunning comeback win, 63-61.
The Gamecocks returned four starters from last year's team that tied with Florida for eighth in the final SEC standings. USC had been playing the majority of its pre-conference games with three of those players, but now have four.
Senior guard Valerie Nainima returned to the court four and a-half months after surgery from a torn ACL in her right knee and made her first appearance of the season in the Dec. 12 win against N.C. State. Nainima was a 2010-11 Preseason Second Team All-SEC selection after leading USC in scoring last year with 17.0 points per game, hitting 35.8 percent (82-229) from the three-point arc and dishing a team-best 81 assists.
Sophomore guard Ieasia Walker has led the squad offensively with 11.0 points and 34 steals. Junior guard La'Keisha Sutton contributed 9.9 points, while dishing a team-leading 55 assists and sophomore Ashley Bruner is pulling down an USC-high 6.2 rebounds per outing to accompany 8.6 points. Junior transfer Marah Strickland is tallying 10.5 points, while hitting 26 treys and converting 94.9 percent (37-39) free throws.
UF redshirt-junior Jordan Jones suited up for South Carolina during the 2007-08 season, transferring following her freshman year and enrolling at UF. During her lone season as a Gamecock, Jones led the team in scoring with13.1 per game, hitting 39.9 percent of her three-point tries (97-243). She even squared off three times against Florida, which won two of the three. In the Gator's loss, Jones scored a team-high 16 points, hitting 5-of-9 three-pointers for the 69-65 outcome that spoiled Senior Day for Depree Bowden. She totaled 36 points during the three games against her future team, connecting on 11-of-25 from long range (44.4%).
Florida is averaging a respectable 67.2 points per game, with only Jones recording a double-figure scoring average. Nine different Gators contribute at least 5.0 points per game, with 10 of the 12 reptiles averaging at least 12 minutes of playing time per contest.
Azania Stewart is Florida's leading rebounder with 6.9 per game and is second on the club with a 52.3 percent field goal mark. Her 26 blocked shots are tied with Jennifer George's 26 swats for team lead. Lanita Bartley is dishing 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals, while finding her way to the free throw a team-best 56 times.
Game Day Information
Florida Gators (11-5, 1-1 SEC) at the South Carolina Gamecocks (9-6, 1-1)
Sunday, January 9, 2011 - 3 pm ET
Colonial Life Arena (18,000) - Columbia, S.C.
Game Coverage & More!
Radio: LIVE on WBXY-FM 99.5 “The Star” in Gainesville, called by Adam Schick and Brittany Davis
Internet Audio: LIVE thru www.GatorZone.com (FREE)
Internet Video: LIVE thru www.Gamecocksonline.com (fee-based)
Internet Scoring: LIVE link thru GatorZone.com (FREE)
Television: none
TV Satellite Feed/ XOS Digital XChange: TBA
