Women's Hoops Opens SEC Slate Hosting No. 6 Kentucky on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Saturday, December 31, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Florida wrapped up its pre-Southeastern Conference schedule on Wed., Dec. 28 and now turns its full attention to the 12-team league slate which gets underway on January 1.
There's no such thing as playing a warm-up game in the SEC, as the Gators open their 16-game conference schedule playing host to the highest-ranked team in the league, welcoming sixth-ranked Kentucky (11-2) to the O'Connell Center where Florida sports a seven-game home winning streak, a run that's tied for the ninth-longest in program history.
Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Fans can take advantage of “Family 4 Pack Sunday,” when four general admission tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas cost only $20!
Kentucky was voted to finish second in the league by a preseason poll of the SEC's head coaches, who also selected Florida to place fifth. The media tagged the Wildcats and Gators to finish third and sixth, respectively. In each of the previous four years under head coach Amanda Butler, Florida has at least met preseason expectations, exceeding them on three occasions.
Kentucky junior A'dia Mathies was a preseason first-team All-SEC selection by the league's coaches and media. She has more than lived up to the preseason recognition, leading the Wildcats in scoring (15.4 ppg) and steals (45), an average that ranks among the nation's top-10.
Sunday's game will be the second time in program history Florida is playing a game on the first day of the calendar year. The Gators defeated Maine, 78-73, on Jan. 1, 1990, in Gainesville.
The Gators (10-3) hold a slim 22-21 edge in the 43-game series against the Wildcats, who have won the last two meetings, including last year's 59-58 thriller in Gainesville. UK also has claimed three of last four decisions against the Gators, as well as five of the last seven outings.
The Gators have rebounded from their season-opening loss and have compiled a modest seven-game home winning streak entering Sunday's game against Kentucky. In five years under head coach Amanda Butler, Florida is 57-18 overall (76.0%) at home, including a 7-1 record in 2011-12.
Florida defeated Samford, 81-56, on 'SEC Eve,' as Coach Butler dubbed the final non-conference game of the year. Five different Gators contributed to the balanced scoring effort, as well as the dominate rebounding performance that had Florida outrebound the Bulldogs, 43-20. Senior Deana Allen led all scorers with 17 points, one shy of her career high, while Jennifer George powered up her fifth consecutive double-double and seventh of the year.
“We have to take everything we've done to this point in the season and take it to another level,” Butler said. “We have to find ways to be more mature, more dedicated, more committed and more intense to be successful in the Southeastern Conference. We will always take about winning championships in this league and to do that you have to go through Kentucky. They are very good and there's not getting around them. I had a unique opportunity to watch early film on them play because the played Samford right before our ballgame. They are quick and athletic and we're going to have to be prepared for everything they bring.”
Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell was an assistant coach at Florida for three years (2000-03), serving under former head coaches Carol Ross and Carolyn Peck. The Gators were 51-36 during his three-year stay in Gainesville.
Florida is 1-1 this year against nationally-ranked opponents, posting a 72-58 victory on Nov. 17 against Florida State, which checked in at No. 21 in the AP and No. 19 in the ESPN-Coaches poll, but losing to No. 11/12 Rutgers (63-49) on Dec. 2 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
Junior forward Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) - named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 26 - leads Florida in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.9 rpg), while shooting 59.2 percent from the floor, a mark that ranks second in the SEC, as does her rebounding average.
She has posted five consecutive double-doubles (seven total this year) entering Sunday's game against Kentucky, having tagged San Francisco with a career-best 24 points with 11 rebounds in the win, a 14-point, 14-rebound effort versus Pacific, a 19-point, 10 rebound mark against Charleston Southern, a 15-point, 13-rebound showing against Duquesne and a 10-point, 13 board mark versus Samford.
Since being held scoreless on 0-for-1 shooting with three rebounds in the season opener, George is averaging 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds. George also has a team-high nine double-figure scoring games and six of double-doubles this year.
George's effort has helped Florida out-rebound its opponent in 11 of 13 games this year. Assisting George on the boards has been senior guard Deana Allen (Houma, La.), who collects 6.0 per game along with 8.1 points and a team-leading 2.0 steals, as well as senior center Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England), who corrals 5.6 per outing in addition to 2.54 blocks per game.
“Things didn't quite go our way in the SEC last season so I'm excited to start this year on a good note,” Allen shared.
Like Allen, senior Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) has been doing a bit of everything for the Gators this year, contributing 13.5 points, in addition to 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals, while hitting 31-of-87 treys (35.6%).
Jones has converted at least one three-point attempt in nine consecutive games entering Sunday's outing against Kentucky. She already has streaks of 23 and 16 consecutive games with a trey to her resume, looking to add a third double-digit run with a 3-pointer on Sunday. In Florida's last three games, Jones has converted 10-of-22 from long range (45.5%).
During her two-plus-year tenure at UF, Jones has drained 158 three-pointers, the fifth most in a career (fourth is 160 by Steffi Sorensen, 2008-10), as well as 255 overall.
Sophomore Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, Fla.), who earned a spot on the 2010 SEC All-Freshman Team last year, contributes 10.5 points with 3.0 assists per game.
Game Day Information
Florida Gators (10-3, 0-0 SEC) host the #6 Kentucky Wildcats (11-2, 0-0 SEC)
Sun., January 1, 2012 - 1 pm ET
Stephen C. O'Connell Center (11,373) - Gainesville, Fla.
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 Scoring: LIVE thru www.GatorZone.com (FREE)
Television: CSS (Comcast Sports South) with Bernie Guenther & Maria Taylor
Tickets: $5 for reserved seats; $4 adult general admission; $2 for youth age 17 and under; FREE for UF and Santa Fe students
Parking: FREE in the O'Connell Center parking lot
Opening Tip
*Sunday's game is the SEC opener for both teams
*UF has won seven consecutive home games
*the Gators have won the rebounding battle in 11 of 13 games this year
*Jennifer George has recorded five consecutive double-doubles, the longest such streak since Vanessa Hayden tallied 5 straight during the 2003-04 season
*Jordan Jones has a 3-pointer in 12 of 13 games this year; 9 straight games
*UF has played 41 games over the last two-plus seasons decided by 10 pts or less, including last year's one-point contest against Kentucky
Additional Hoopla For Sunday's Game
Sunday, January 1, 1:00 PM - vs. Kentucky
Presenting sponsor: The Star 99.5
*Family 4 Pack Sunday: 4 general admission tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 sodas for only $20!
*Camper Reunion Day: Campers, help kick off SEC play as the Gators take on the Wildcats! All campers receive free admission with voucher and will be able to form the tunnel to welcome the team onto the court!
