Gators Make First Road Trip of Season, Play St. John's Thursday at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Florida makes its first road trip of the season, traveling to Queens, New York, to play St. John's in Carnesecca Arena on Thursday beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
It should be a solid, early-season matchup between the Gators (2-0) and Red Storm (1-0), as both teams enter the game undefeated.
Florida will be meeting St. John's for the third time on the hardwood. The Red Storm collected a 61-47 victory at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic in Miami on Nov. 27, 2009, and the Gators notched a 72-68 triumph on Nov. 26, 2013, at the O'Connell Center behind 17 points from January Miller.
VIDEO (FREE): Head coach Amanda Butler, Carlie Needles and Ronni Williams talk about Monday's win and what the team needs to improve upon moving forward: http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6500
Stat Watch
· Points in the paint could be a key to Thursday's game and the edge might go to the Red Storm, despite the fact that the Gators are averaging 55 points per game down low and St. John's only put up 46 in the restricted area in its win over Yale last week.
· The advantage is shown on defense, as the Gators are allowing 29 points per game in the paint, while the Red Storm only surrendered 18 in its season-opening contest.
Last Time Out
· After Longwood grabbed a two-point lead (10-8) at the 12:35 mark of the first half on Monday, the Gators went on a 10-0 run, capped off by a three-point play by Ronni Williams. UF never trailed for the remainder of the game.
· Williams recorded 19 points (on 8-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line), with five rebounds and two steals.
· St. John's opened its season with an 11-point win at Yale last Friday. The Red Storm were led by guard Danaejah Grant, who scored 30 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the field. In addition, she grabbed four boards and dished out four assists.
Last Week
· The Gators launched their 41st season of varsity competition with an 84-73 win against Jacksonville in the O'Connell Center on Friday. With the win, UF improved to 23-1 in its last 24 home contests against non-conference opponents under head coach Amanda Butler.
BIG EAST Flavor
· UF's next two road games will be against teams from the BIG EAST. Following the matchup at St. John's and a home meeting with Charleston Southern of the Big South Conference next Tuesday, Nov. 25, Florida will head to the nation's capital to face Georgetown the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28).
Quite a Debut
· Junior Carla Batchelor provided an offensive spark in her Gator debut on Monday against Longwood, tallying 10 points in only 5 minutes of action. The transfer from Northwest Florida State College, who was first-team All-Panhandle Conference in both 2013 & 2014, made all 4 of her field-goal attempts, including a three-pointer on her first shot.
Fast Start for Williams
· Sophomore Ronni Williams has led the Gators in scoring in both games this season, with 18 points in the season opener against Jacksonville and 19 points versus Longwood that matched her career high (at Kentucky on 1/5/14). She is a blistering 15-of-21 (.714) on field goals and is a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
Bench Production
· One of the keys to Florida's pair of wins on the young season has been the performance of its bench, as the squad holds a commanding 68-26 edge on the scoreboard. The Gators have out-scored JU, 38-17, and then Longwood, 30-9.
Nearly Wire-to-Wire
· Florida has been accustomed to seizing control from the get-go in each of its games. The Gators did not trail at all in the lid-lifter versus Jacksonville and yielded the game's opening basket to Longwood and were down 10-8 before moving in front to stay in the 45-point win.
Florida (2-0) at (RV/RV) St. John's (1-0)
Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, New York
Thurs., Nov. 20, 2014 * 7 p.m. ET
Game Notes (PDF)
· Florida: http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women/stats/notes/pre/20141120190000.pdf
Game Coverage & More!
· Radio: LIVE on ESPN850 WRUF-AM in Gainesville with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis (http://www.wruf.com/)
· Internet Audio: LIVE thru www.GatorZone.com (FREE) (http://www.gatorvision.tv//mediaPortal/player.dbml?&catid=0&DB_OEM_ID=6500)
· Internet Video: LIVE on BIG EAST Digital Network with Jonathan Yardley & Scott Green (http://www.foxsports.com/foxsportsgo/)
· Internet Scoring: Game Tracker (FREE) (http://www.redstormsports.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wbaskbl.html?event=1364036&school=stjo&sport=wbaskbl&camefrom=&startschool=&)
· Tickets: $10 adult general admission; $5 for child/student/senior citizen and free for SJU students
Opening Tip
· This is UF's first road game this season and St. John's home opener.
· This is the third-ever meeting between these two schools with the series tied up at one win apiece.
For all of the latest information on Florida women's basketball:
Official Website: www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women
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Twitter: @GatorZoneWBK and @CoachButlerUF
Instagram: @gatorzonewbk
