Gators and Vanderbilt to Tussle on Super Bowl Sunday
Sunday, February 1, 2015 | Women's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The second-half of Florida's 16-game Southeastern schedule begins Sunday in Nashville, where the Gators challenge Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium beginning at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT).
The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net with Jenn Hildreth and Britany Jackson calling the action.
See You Later ...
· This is the first of two regular-season meetings scheduled between Florida and Vanderbilt.
· The Gators welcome the Commodores to the O'Connell Center on Thursday, February 19.
What's next
· After Sunday's game, the Gators have their second and final bye in the SEC schedule and will not compete again until Sunday, February 8 against Tennessee in Gainesville.
The Second Half Begins Sunday
· Opponents in the second half of UF's SEC schedule include: Vanderbilt (twice), No. 6 Tennessee, No. 21/20 Georgia (twice) No. 18 Mississippi State, No. 12/14 Texas A&M and Alabama.
· Five of the Gator's eight remaining games are against teams currently ranked in top 25 nationally.
· The final eight games of Florida's SEC slate is travel-heavy, with five games away from Gainesville.
The End of the First Half
· Florida closed out the first half of its SEC schedule with a disappointing 68-52 home loss to Mizzou. It was the second time this season the Gators fell to the Tigers, who also claimed the January 11 meeting in Columbia.
· The Gators earned SEC wins against Auburn (Jan. 4) on the road and Arkansas (Jan. 25) at home.
Super (Bowl) Records
· UF is playing on Super Bowl Sunday for the 16th consecutive year; 22nd time overall since 1986.
· The Gators and Commodores are playing each other for the seventh time on Super Bowl Sunday (VU leads 4-2)
· UF is 3-7 on the road playing on Super Bowl Sunday.
· The Gators are 5-3 when the team representing the AFC (New England) wins the title and 6-7 when the NFC team (Seattle) is crowned World Champion.
Last Meeting at a Glance: Feb. 27, 2014 in Nashville, TN
· Florida 73, Vanderbilt 68
· Senior Jaterra Bonds scored 18 points and tied a career-high nine assists and Florida earned a crucial 73-68 victory against Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym.
· The Gators led by as many as 17 points early, but Vanderbilt used its prowess from the three-point arc and the free throw line to cut its deficit to three points four times in the second half and as late as with 44.9 seconds and seven seconds remaining.
· Florida stepped up at the free throw line itself and knocked down big field goals to maintain its lead for all except the first 1:12 of the game.
· In the final 61 seconds of the game, the Gators converted 9-of-12 from the line, with sophomore Carlie Needles coolly icing the game with 4.8 seconds remaining as she hit a pair and gave Florida its final margin of victory.
Florida vs. Vanderbilt: The Series at a Glance
· 52-Game Series: UF trails 20-32
· UF Home: 10-12; Away: 7-16; Neutral: 3-4
· Four of the last five games in the series have been decided by six points or fewer; as well as each of the last seven games have been decided by 11 points or less (Vandy 5-2)
· Vandy has won 9 of last 11 games against the Gators.
Local Flavor
· UF Head Coach Amanda Butler and freshman Brooke Copeland are natives of the Volunteer State.
· Butler hails from Mt. Juliet, located just 15 miles from Nashville. Her parents, Steve and Barbara Butler, still reside in Mt. Juliet.
· Copeland is from Cleveland, Tenn., located 163 miles from Nashville (about a 2:30 drive).
· Copeland, who graduated from Bradley Central High School in May 2014, is expected to have several family members and friends in the stands for Sunday's game.
Gator Watch
· POINTS: Thanks to her 15-point outburst against Ole Miss (Jan. 8), sophomore Ronni Williams regained her spot atop UF's scoring chart.
· Entering today's game, Williams is averaging 9.8 points, while converting 47 percent from the floor and blocking 11 shots.
· REBOUNDS: Lone senior Kayla Lewis patrols the paint for UF, collecting 7.0 rebounds per game, along with 9.4 points and hitting a team-leading 53.0 percent from the floor.
· UTILITY - 1: Cassie Peoples leads the Gators in assists (80), steals (47) and trips to the free throw line (64), where she leads the SEC with a 85.9 percent clip (Peoples also would ranked No. 6 in SEC games at 81.3%, but has not attempted the minimum to be ranked). She had led the team in scoring until the Jan. 8 home loss to Ole Miss, when she scored 7 points.
· UTILITY - 2: Carlie Needles has emerged as UF's Ms. A-Little-Bit-of-Everything this season! Standing 5-foot-6, she ranks No. 2 for rebounds, while ranking No. 1 for three-pointers, No. 1 minutes played, No. 2 assists, No. 2 free throw percentage, No. 2 steals and No. 4 for scoring!
Who's on top?
· Entering Sunday's game, not one Gator is averaging a double-figure scoring effort - and that's because there's balance! (Interestingly, Vanderbilt also does not feature a player with a double-figure scoring average.)
· Seven Gators average at last 5.2 points per game.
· Eight Gators average at least 13 minutes on the court.
Who's Hot
· In the last three games, Carlie Needles has averaged a team-best 12.0 points and 4.3 rebounds.
· Needles is converting 46.7 percent (7-15) of her three-point shots and 91.7 percent (11-12) of her free throw attempts over the last three outings.
Rookies on Display
· Florida's Brooke Copeland and Haley Lorenzen have stepped up for the Gators! Through the first eight SEC games, the two rookies have combine to average 11.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.7 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.
StatRow:
Florida
· Points Per Game: 64.5
· Scoring Defense: 62.0
· Scoring Margin: +2.5
· Rebounding Margin: +1.5
· FG%: 40.1%
· 3FG%: 30.3%
· FT%: 69.1%
Gator Leaders
· Scoring: R. Williams, 9.8
· Rebounding: K. Lewis, 7.0
· Assists: C. Peoples, 3.8
Vanderbilt
· Points Per Game: 62.0
· Scoring Defense: 62.0
· Scoring Margin: +0.3
· Rebounding Margin: +5.9
· FG%: 44.9%
· 3FG%: 31.6%
· FT%: 68.9%
Commodore Leaders
· Scoring: R. Dahlman, 9.8
· Rebounding: M. Batey, 5.6
· Assists: P. Kea, 3.12
GAME DAY DATA:
Florida (10-11, 2-6 SEC) at Vanderbilt (12-9, 3-5 SEC)
Memorial Gymnasium (14,326) * Nashville, Tenn.
Sun., February 1, 2015 * 4 p.m. ET
Game Coverage & More!
· Radio: LIVE on WRUF-AM (850) in Gainesville with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
· Internet Audio: LIVE thru www.GatorZone.com (FREE) - http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?&catid=0&DB_OEM_ID=6500
· Television: FOX Sports Net (Florida / FSN) with Jenn Hildreth & Britany Jackson
· Visit http://www.foxsports.com/tv-listings to select your cable provider and find the station in your area airing the game.
· Internet Video: ESPN3 - http://es.pn/1upBMfw
· Internet Scoring: (FREE) via Gametracker - http://bit.ly/1Lx6kH6
Televising the Game in Your Area:
· Visit http://www.foxsports.com/tv-listings to select your cable provider and find the station in your area airing the game.
· In Gainesville: on Fox Sports Florida - Cox channel SD70 / HD1070,
· Fox Sports San Diego – SD408/HD5408
· Fox Sports Prime Ticket – SD411,412
· Fox Sports Arizona – SD415 / HD5415
· Fox Sports Southwest – SD416/HD5416
· Fox Sports Florida – SD423/HD423
· Fox Sports Detroit – SD430/HD430
· Fox SportsSouth – SD437
Game Notes (PDF):
Florida – http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women/stats/notes/pre/20150201160000.pdf
Vanderbilt – http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/w-baskbl/sched/vand-w-baskbl-sched.html
Opening Tip
· four of the last five meetings between the Gators and Commodores have been decided by 6 points or fewer
· Sunday is the first of two regular-season match-ups between Florida and Vanderbilt
· this is the 16th consecutive year Florida has played on Super Bowl Sunday
· It's also the seventh Super Bowl meeting between the Gators and Commodores, who lead on those great gridiron days, 4-2
· The Gators enter this Sunday's game riding a three-game Super Bowl Sunday win streak
· Five of UF's seven games in the month of February are on the road
For all of the latest information on Florida women's basketball:
Official Website: www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FloridaWomensBasketball
Twitter: @GatorZoneWBK and @CoachButlerUF
Instagram: GatorzoneWBK
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