Gators Take Challenging Stretch on the Road at No. 24 Georgia
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 | Women's Basketball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida and No. 24 Georgia square off for the 65th time when the teams battle on Thursday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., where tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Thursday's game is the second in a three-game span against a nationally-ranked opponent. UF is coming off a 64-56 setback to No. 6 Tennessee and next plays No. 13 Mississippi State Sunday afternoon in Starkville.
The game against the Lady Bulldogs also is the first of a two-game road trip, as well as the first game in a five-game spell that features four road contests for the Gators.
Florida and Georgia will face each other again on March 1 in Gainesville in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Florida vs. Georgia: The Series at a Glance
· 64-Game Series: UGa leads 50-14
· UF Home: 10-21; Away: 4-27; Neutral: 0-2
· The series against Georgia is the second-longest for Florida in program history, trailing only the 71 games played against instate rival Florida State.
· UG has won the last four meetings vs. UF, including 8 of the last 12 and 17 of the last 21
· The Gators have won just four times in the 31 games played against the Bulldogs in Athens.
· The most recent Gator win in Athens was back on January 18, 2004, when UF claimed the 83-73 victory to sweep the two regular-season meetings, before the Bulldogs struck back with a four-point win in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup.
· 10 of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by 9 points or less
· Amanda Butler is one win shy of tying Carol Ross for the most wins by a Gator coach against Georgia (Ross earned 5 wins in 12 years vs. Georgia)
Gripping Gators
· 10 of UF's 23 games this year have been decided by 10 points or less.
· The Gators are 3-7 in those games this year.
You Say Daunting, We Say Challenging and Exciting!
· Only SIX games remain in Florida's regular season.
· Five of the Gator's final seven games are against ranked teams:
o No. 6 Tennessee
o No. 22/21 Georgia - TWICE
o No. 17/19 Mississippi State
o No. 14/13 Texas A&M
· The only two games against non-ranked teams:
o host Vanderbilt (Feb. 19)
o at Alabama (Feb. 26)
Local Flavor
· Redshirt senior Kayla Lewis is a native of the Peach State.
· Lewis hails from Decatur, located 65 miles from Athens - about a 1:13 drive.
· Lewis graduated from Southwest DeKalb (Ga.) High School in 2010
· 2010 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year
· Named 2010 Miss Georgia Basketball, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club
· During four-year prep career tallied 1,349 points (13.8 ppg), 691 rebounds (7.1 rpg), 162 steals (1.7 spg), 151 assists (1.5 apg) and 140 blocked shots (1.4 pg), while shooting 52 percent from the floor
· Led SWDHS in 2010 to a successful defense of its Class AAAA State Championship, scoring 20 points in the final versus Northwest Whitfield at Gwinnett Arena en rout to the Panthers winning their third consecutive state title
Gators vs. Ranked Teams
· Cassie Peoples has averaged a team-leading 10.7 points in the three games this season against ranked opponents, including the season-best 18 points she put up against Tennessee (Feb. 8).
· In those games, Peoples also dished 13 assists, hit 5-of-15 three-pointers (33.3%) and converted 7-of-8 free throws (87.5%).
Gator Watch
· POINTS: senior Kayla Lewis and sophomore Ronni Williams sit atop UF's scoring chart at 9.8 points per game.
· REBOUNDS: Lone senior Kayla Lewis patrols the paint for UF, collecting 7.2 rebounds per game and hitting an SEC-leading 54.6 percent from the floor.
· UTILITY - 1: Cassie Peoples leads the Gators in assists (91), steals (47) and trips to the free throw line (75), where she leads the SEC with a 86.8 percent clip.
· 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?
· For the third consecutive game, not one Gator is averaging a double-figure scoring effort - and that's because there's balance!
· Seven Gators average at last 5 points per game.
· Eight Gators average at least 12.9 minutes on the court.
Who's Hot ... in UF's last Game:
· Cassie Peoples scored a season-high 18 points (6-7 FTs) with a game-high six assists
· Ronni Williams posted her first double-double of the season with 11 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
Game Day Data:
Florida (11-12, 3-7 SEC) at #24/rv Georgia (17-7, 5-6 SEC)
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) * Athens, Ga.
Thurs., February 12, 2015 * 7 p.m. ET
Game Notes (PDF):
· Florida – http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women/stats/notes/pre/20150212190000.pdf
· Georgia – http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/geo/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/release/release_20150211aaa.pdf
Opening Tip
· Thursday's game is the first of two during the regular season between Florida and Georgia. The teams will meet again in Gainesville on March 1 in the regular season finale
· Five of the Gator's final seven games are versus ranked teams.
· Five of UF's seven games in the month of February are on the road - Feb. 8 vs Tennessee & Feb. 19 vs. Vanderbilt
· Kayla Lewis scored her 1,000th career point in UF's last game
· Kayla Lewis leads the SEC in field goal percentage (54.6%)
· Cassie Peoples leads the SEC in free throw percentage (86.7%)
· Carlie Needles ranks No. 3 in the SEC in 3-Point FG pct. (34.7%)
· Georgia boasts the SEC's second-most stingy defense (52.8 ppg)
Game Coverage & More!
· Radio: LIVE on WRUF-AM (850) in Gainesville with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
· Internet Audio: LIVE thru www.GatorZone.com (FREE)
· Television: none
· Internet Video: SEC Network+ with Matt Stewart & Brittany Northcutt
· Internet Scoring: Stat Broadcast (FREE)
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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