Gators Aim for Big Road Win Sunday at No. 15 Texas A&M
Saturday, February 21, 2015 | Women's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Two of Florida's final three regular-season games are on the road and that two-game trip begins Sunday in College Station, Texas, where the Gators play No. 15 Texas A&M with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT).
Sunday's game is the part of a five-game stretch where four of Florida's opponents are nationally ranked. The only team not ranked during the span was Vanderbilt which narrowly defeated the Gators, 76-75 in overtime on Thurs., February 19.
Road Warriors
· The Gators have 2 SEC road games remaining, including Sunday.
· Entering Sunday's games, only 7 teams have won at least 3 SEC road games – Florida is one of them.
· The last Gator team that won at least 4 SEC road games – 2005-06 squad.
Gators vs. Aggies: First Meeting
· Florida and TAMU played once prior to the Aggie's membership into the SEC – March 16, 1994.
· Texas A&M won inaugural meeting in the series between the Gators and Aggies, taking the 78-76 win in the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
· The game was played in College Station, Texas, however Florida was the higher-seed (No. 4) and would have been awarded the host site if a Rod Stewart concert was not already scheduled in the O'Connell Center that weekend.
· Instead, the Gators took their game on the road in what would be the final collegiate game for Amanda Butler, who was Florida's senior captain. Butler scored 15 points, hitting four three-pointers, while dishing five assists in 39 minutes of action.
Gators vs. Aggies: The Series
· Texas A&M has won all three meetings in the series against Florida, including two on its home court and the most recent played last season in Gainesville in the regular-season finale.
· UF Home: 0-1; Away: 0-2; Neutral: 0-0
· The three games have been decided by a combined total of 20 points, with two of the games decided by seven points or fewer.
Gators Returning to the Lone Star State
· Sunday's game will be the 17th time the Gators will have played a game with the boarders of the Lone Star State.
· The Gators sport a 9-7 all-time record when playing in the state of Texas and have lost their last three contests inside the boarders of the nation's 28th state.
Scouting the Aggies - Where they Rank
· In SEC games, several Aggies appear at the top of the league's statistical categories:
· No. 2 Scoring - Courtney Walker
· No. 4 Scoring - Courtney Williams
· No. 3 Rebounding - Achiri Ade
· No. 1 Assists - Jordan Jones
· No. 5 FT Pct. - Courtney Walker
· No. 1 Asst/TO Ratio - Jordan Jones
Local Flavor
· UF redshirt junior guard Cassie Peoples is a native of San Antonio, located 169 miles (or a driving time of 2 hours, 43 minutes) from College Station.
· Peoples began her collegiate career at the University of Texas, but transferred to UF following her freshman season.
· Peoples had to redshirt the 2012-13 season per NCAA rules for transfers and did not play with the Gators against Texas A&M on the team's Feb. 14, 2013 date in her home state.
Gripping Gators
12 of UF's 26 games this year have been decided by 10 points or less.
The Gators are 4-8 overall in those games this season, including 1-5 in SEC play.
Last TimeOut: Gators Drop Tough Overtime Decision to Commodores, 76-75
· The Gators rallied from a 12-point, second half deficit and forced overtime against Vanderbilt, only to fall short of a comeback victory in a 76-75 decision to the Commodores Thursday night in Gainesville.
· Vanderbilt led by as many as 12 points as late as with 17:40 remaining in regulation before Florida staged a gritty rally and tied the game at 55 with 10:14 to go.
· The Gators had two shots to win the game in regulation but neither January Miller's jumper nor Ronni Williams' offensive rebound put-back would fall.
· Florida again had the ball for the final offensive possession in overtime, trailing by one point, but again the final shot by Miller wouldn't fall as the final horn sounded.
You Say Daunting, We Say Challenging and Exciting!
· Including Sunday's contest, only THREE games remain in Florida's regular season.
· Five of the Gator's final seven games are against teams that continue to be or have been recently ranked:
o No. 6 Tennessee (Feb. 8)
o No. 24 Georgia (Feb. 12)
o No. 13/15 Mississippi State (Feb. 15)
o No. 15 Texas A&M (Feb. 22)
· The only games against non-ranked teams:
o host Vanderbilt (Feb. 19)
o at Alabama (Feb. 26)
o host Georgia - receiving votes (Mar. 1)
Florida vs. Ranked Teams
· The Gators are 1-4 vs. ranked teams this season.
· Three of the five games were decided by eight points or less.
· Seven of UF's final 12 regular-season games are against teams currently - or recently - ranked in the top-25.
· The Gators knocked off No. 24 Georgia, 51-48, to claim their first win against a ranked foe, as well as their first victory in Athens since 2004!
· Most recently, Florida lost at No. 13/15 Mississippi State (Feb. 15)
· Florida dropped a tight 62-56 decision at No. 10/11 Kentucky on Thur., January 15, when the game featured 17 lead changes and nine tied scores.
· The Gators then lost to undefeated and top-ranked South Carolina, 77-42, on January 19.
· The Gators led No. 6 Tennessee by two points at halftime, but the Lady Vols used an 11-0 run midway through the second half en route to the 64-56 decision.
Biggest Stat Differential vs. Ranked Teams
· Free Throws: the Gators have ATTEMPTED 51 free throws (36-51, 70.6%) in FIVE games against ranked teams ... while opponents have MADE 63 free throw attempts (63-97, 64.9%)
Gators vs. Ranked Teams
· Cassie Peoples & Ronni Williams have averaged a team-leading 9.8 points in the FIVE games this season against ranked opponents
· Peoples scored a season-best 18 points against No. 6 Tennessee (Feb. 8).
· Williams' only double-double of the year was against a ranked opponent - 11 points, 13 rebounds vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Feb. 8)
· In the games against ranked teams, Peoples has also dished 24 assists, hit 8-of-22 three-pointers (36.4%) and converted 9-of-10 free throws (90.0%).
GAME DAY DATA:
· Who: Florida (12-14, 4-9 SEC) at #15 Texas A&M (21-6, 9-4 SEC)
· Where: Reed Arena (12,989) * College Station, Texas
· When: Sun., February 22, 2015 * 4 p.m. ET/3 CT
Game Notes (PDF):
· Florida – http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women/stats/notes/pre/20150222160000.pdf
· Texas A&M – http://www.12thman.com/pdf9/3209009.pdf
Game Coverage & More!
· Radio: LIVE on WRUF-AM (850) in Gainesville and WFXJ-AM (930) in Jacksonville with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
· Internet Audio: LIVE thru www.GatorZone.com (FREE)
o http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?&catid=0&DB_OEM_ID=6500
· Television: SEC Network with Fran Harris & Nell Fortner
o www.GetSECNetwork.com to find the station airing the game in your area
· Internet Video: WatchESPN
· Internet Scoring: Stat Broadcast (FREE)
o http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/
Opening Tip
· This is the fourth all-time meeting between Florida and Texas A&M, with the Aggies claiming all three.
· The first-ever game between the two teams was back on March 16, 1994 and was the final collegiate game for Amanda Butler.
· There are only three regular-season games remaining for both teams, including Sunday's contest.
· 12 of UF's games this year have been decided by 10 points or less (4-8 record), including six in SEC play (1-5 record).
· Five of UF's seven games in the month of February are on the road - 2 home games: Feb. 8 vs Tennessee & Feb. 19 vs. Vanderbilt
· Cassie Peoples leads the SEC in free throw percentage (87.0%)
· Carlie Needles ranks No. 2 in SEC games for 3-Pt FG pct. (33.8%)
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
-##-
