Florida Gators

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman Eleanna Christinaki just missed a triple-double and Florida dominated the third quarter en route to a 93-79 victory in the Southeastern Conference-American Athletic Conference Challenge held at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Wednesday evening.
 
In the Gators' nonconference finale, January Miller scored 15 points and led a balanced offensive attack as five players scored in double figures, with Christinaki adding 14 points, a career-best 10 rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Ronni Williams and Haley Lorenzen recorded 13 points each, while Cassie Peoples ignited a cold-shooting Gator team early in the second quarter and finished with 11 points as Florida won its 12th consecutive game.
 
Florida hit just 30 percent of its shots in the first half but converted 53.7 percent in the deciding second. The Gators also sank 9-of-21 from the three-point arc, with Christinaki (1), Carlie Needles (2), Miller (3) and Peoples (3) each hitting from deep.
 
In the other game of Wednesday's SEC-AAC Challenge, No. 8 Mississippi State defeated No. 20 South Florida, 68-58.
 
 
How It Happened
UCF built a 22-15 lead over the first 10:42 of the game, but it was all Gators the rest of the way.
 
After calling a timeout just 42 seconds into the second period, Florida ripped off a 17-4 run that flipped a seven-point deficit into a 32-26 lead.
 
Zykira Lewis, who finished with a game-high 28 points, hit consecutive 3-pointers and tied the game at 32 for UCF, before Cassie Peoples responded with a trey for the Gators and Ronni Williams ended the half with a free throw to give Florida a 36-32 lead at halftime.
 
UF managed to sink just 30 percent of their shots during the opening 20 minutes, while the Knights started off blazing and cooled off to a 39.5 percent mark by the end of the half.
 
The Gators scored the first five points of the second half and after another 3-pointer by the Knights, never looked back.
 
Florida outscored UCF 34-17 in the third frame, highlighted by a 14-0 run with scores from six different players as the Gators extended their lead to 62-41 with 2:43 left in the third period.
 
During the commanding third quarter, eight Gators scored, paced by seven points inside from Haley Lorenzen.
 
UCF rallied in the fourth quarter and outscored UF, 30-23, but the Gators held on and earned their 12th straight victory after a season-opening loss. The streak is tied for the second-longest in program history.
 
Updated Records:

• Florida: 12-1
• UCF: 3-8

 
UF-UCF Series Update:

• The Gators improved to 25-0 all-time against the Knights.
• This was the first meeting on a neutral site.

 
Tonight's Gator Win:

• Is UF's 12th consecutive victory.
• Improved UF's season-opening record to 12-1 which is the sixth time in program history the Gators have won 12 of their first 13 and the first time since 2008-09 squad ripped off a 15-1 record to start the season before incurring its second loss of the year.
• Tied for the second-longest winning streak in program history.
• Capped UF's record in the month of December with a perfect 7-0 record.
• Marked the fifth time in program history the Gators ripped through the final month of the calendar unscathed.

 
Numbers of Note

• January Miller scored in double-figures for the fourth time this season and 37th time in her career
• Eleanna Christinaki scored in double-figures for the seventh time
• Cassie Peoples scored in double-figures for a team-leading eighth time this year and 39th time in her career
• Ronni Williams scored in double-figures for the sixth time this year and 38th time in her career
• Haley Lorenzen scored in double-figures for the sixth time this year and 13th time in her career
• Carlie Needles appeared in the starting lineup for the 25th consecutive game

• the starting lineup of Williams, Christinaki, Needles, Dyandria Anderson and Lorenzen improved to 9-0
• Florida shot a season-low 30 percent during the first half (was 30.8 percent at South Alabama)

 
Dandy December

• This was UF's final game of the calendar year.
• The Gators were 7-0 in the month of December.
• Other Undefeated Decembers include:
  • 1983-84 (7-0)
  • 1989-90 (6-0)
  • 2005-06 (7-0)
  • 2013-14 (5-0)

 
Quotes from the Court – UF Head Coach Amanda Butler
Opening Thoughts:
"We knew they would be really prepared and they were. We talked about that all week preparing for tonight's game. They have some very capable pieces and if they put all those pieces together at the same time then they would be very tough to beat. We saw that effort from them in the first quarter."
 
On the difference in the third quarter from the first half:
"There was a lot more desire and a lot more hustle. Our depth plays a factor in the second half. I thought we had a bunch out there that set the tone as opposed to reacting and letting them set the tone."
 
On rebounding importance in the second half:
"It's ironic because we came into this game really worried about their offensive rebounding and they are not typically a team that shoots very well and it was a role reversal in the first half. We went into the lockeroom at halftime with a bunch of offensive rebounds because we missed a bunch of layups. I think we missed 22 layups. We were getting the shots we wanted, just not the focus."
 
On the performance of freshman Eleanna Christinaki:
"She started a little bit slow, had some turnovers and was really disappointed with herself. Then she settled in a got in a grove. She's a playmaker and creates in a lot of different ways. The rebounding is what I'm probably most proud of from her tonight."
 
What's Next for the Gators

• Florida launches its SEC schedule playing host to No. 8-ranked Mississippi State on Sunday, January 3 at 1 p.m. ET.
• The game will be televised live on the SEC Network.
• The Gators are 16-17 all-time in SEC openers.

 
Additional GameDay Hoopla for Sunday

• Mini Hoop Giveaway: The first 500 fans receive Florida Basketball mini hoop and ball set!
• Sunday Layup Line: Kids 12 and under will be able to participate in post-game layups on the court for 15 minutes. (Register at Gate 4 during the game)
• Kids Club: Kids Club members and their families receive free admission to the game.
• Kids Korner: Children can enjoy the poster-making station and games. (On the track level between Gates 3 and 4)

 
 
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