Gators Set for Auburn and Start of SEC Tournament
Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | Women's Basketball
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Florida plays Auburn in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) in the inaugural game of the 2015 event held at The Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas.
This is the Gator's first game this season played on a neutral court.
Florida compiled a 5-7 road record this year, including the January 4 victory at Auburn, 63-50.
Additional Online Links:
· VIDEO: sights and sounds from Tuesday's practice:
o http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=3769720&db_oem_id=6500
· Behind-the-Scenes Photo Galleries, courtesy Matt Pendleton Photography
o Travel Day (March 2): https://www.facebook.com/FloridaWomensBasketball/posts/672935442815229
o Practice at Verizon Arena (March 3): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.673300452778728.1073741872.271395369635907
SEC Tournament Skinny
· UF earned the No. 12 seed in the 2015 SEC Tournament.
· This is the 10th meeting between Florida and Auburn in the SEC Tournament.
· The Tigers are 7-2 vs. the Gators in SEC Tournament games.
· Florida and Auburn met in the 1997 championship game, with the Tigers prevailing, 52-47.
SEC Experience
· Five members of the current Gator squad have SEC Tournament experience:
· Kayla Lewis, January Miller and Carlie Needles each have played in four games, while Cassie Peoples and Ronni Williams have two games under their belt.
· Lewis averaged a team-best 17.5 points during UF's two-game run in 2014.
Florida at the SEC Tournament
· Florida holds a 19-34 all-time record in the SEC Tournament.
· Florida has played in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal round each of the last four years, as well as in eight of the last nine tournaments.
· The Gator's best finish was reaching the championship game in 1997, the team's lone appearance in the final.
· Current UF head coach Amanda Butler was an assistant coach on the 1997 Gator staff that year and current UF assistant coach Murriel Page was the starting forward and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Butler at the SEC Tournament
· During her two seasons as an assistant coach at Florida, Amanda Butler helped the Gators reach the SEC Tournament semifinal round in 1996 and the championship game in 1997.
· During her four-year career as a starting point guard for the Gators (1990-94), Butler played in and started five SEC Tournament games, averaging 29.4 minutes, while contributing 4.2 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 steals.
Give her The Present she wants!
· Head Coach Amanda Butler will celebrate her 43rd birthday on Friday, March 6.
· The Gators are 2-1 in seven years playing on Coach Butler's birthday.
· Wins included last year's second round against Mississippi State and during the 2008 first round versus South Carolina.
· Tennessee spoiled her day during the 2009 quarterfinal round.
Home Away from Home?
· Four of the Gator's five SEC wins this year were away from the O'Connell Center.
· The February 26 game in Tuscaloosa was Florida's final SEC road game of the season and the Gators earned their fourth league road win of the year.
· The last Gator team that won at least four SEC road games – the 2005-06 squad.
· Only 5 SEC teams won at least 4 league road games – Florida is one of them!
· Florida was assigned with just three home games during the second half of its 16-game SEC schedule.
Florida vs. Auburn: The Series at a Glance
· 51-Game Series: AU leads 32-20
· UF Home: 10-10; Away: 6-15; Neutral: 4-7
· SEC Tournament Games: Auburn, 7-2
· Florida has defeated Auburn in each of the last five meetings, the Gator's longest win streak in the 51-game series.
· One of the more significant and pertinent games in the series was in the 1997 SEC Tournament final - Florida's first ever and still only appearance in the championship game. Auburn won that game, 52-47, and became the first team to win the title after playing on the first day of the event.
Florida vs. Auburn: Last Meeting Mini-Recap
· Game 15: Florida 63, Auburn 50
· January 4, 2015 * Auburn, AL * Auburn, Arena
· Brooke Copeland led a very balanced offensive attack and Florida earned a hard-fought 63-50 win at Auburn at Auburn Arena on January 4, when the Gators played and collected their first Southeastern Conference road victory of the early season.
· Playing in front of several family members who made the three-hour drive from Cleveland, Tenn., Copeland scored a team-best 12 points all on 4-of-8 shooting from the three-point arc and helped Florida hit 59.1 percent of its shots during the second half when the Gators outscored Auburn, 34-21.
· Carlie Needles and Ronni Williams both scored 11 points, while Kayla Lewis and Haley Lorenzen each netted 10 for the Gators, who also converted 9-of-10 free throws and held a 40-32 rebounding advantage.
· Needles second of her three three-pointers in the game came with 16 seconds remaining in the first half, when she tied the score at 29 and closed the offense for the frame. It was off a busted play and she launched the rock as the shot clock expired, but the result helped Florida erase a five-point deficit with 3:12 left in the period.
· Florida scored the first seven points of the second half before the Tigers came roaring back and closed within one point twice, the last with 14:56 remaining, 40-39.
· Lorenzen then ignited an 18-4 run with an eight-foot, turn-around jumper followed by a left-handed hook inside. After Hasina Muhammad, who finished with a game-high 13 points, hit a bucket for Auburn, Williams converted a three-point-play capped by a free throw that was the 400th point of her career, and Florida extended its lead back to six, 47-41, with 10:36 remaining.
Gripping Gators
· 14 of UF's 29 games this year have been decided by 10 points or less.
· The Gators are 5-9 in those games this year, including 2-6 in SEC games.
Last TimeOut: March 1 in Gainesville
· Gator Rally Falls Short to Georgia, 52-45
· Trailing 37-25 five minutes into the second half, redshirt senior Kayla Lewis, playing in her final regular-season contest, ignited the Gators with a mid-range jumper to kick-start an 18-4 run that spanned seven minutes and 48 seconds.
· In the midst of the run, Georgia led, 41-40, with 6:21 left in regulation when redshirt junior Carlie Needles stole the Georgia inbounds pass and then dished the ball to a cutting Ronni Williams, who converted a layup while drawing a foul. The sophomore converted the and-one opportunity to make the score 43-41 and give the Gators their first lead since the 12:08 mark of the first.
· Georgia quickly responded hitting back-to-back treys to turn the momentum of the game and key a game-deciding 8-0 run.
· UF Head Coach Amanda Butler: “It seemed like we had a really tough time finishing, but ultimately I felt like we could've overcome that if we had rebounded the ball better. We played a lot more zone than maybe we had wanted to in certain segments and couldn't give them second chances. It didn't feel like they were scoring as much on the first chances, but the second chances, they were making us pay. At this point, it's history, and we've got to turn the page and we've got to go with the best versions of ourselves, which we did not bring tonight, to Little Rock (site of the SEC Tournament) and try to do something special.”
Gator Watch
· POINTS: Sophomore Ronni Williams sits atop UF's scoring chart overall and in SEC games at 10.1 and 10.7 points per game, respectively.
· REBOUNDS: Lone senior Kayla Lewis patrols the paint for UF, collecting 6.5 and 6.5 rebounds per game overall and in SEC games, respectively. She hits what would be an SEC-leading 55.5 and 59.1 percent from the floor, but doesn't have enough attempts to qualify in either stat chart.
· UTILITY - 1: Cassie Peoples leads the Gators in assists (122), steals (59) and is second in trips to the free throw line (81), where she would lead the SEC with a 87.7 percent clip but doesn't have enough attempts to qualify.
· UTILITY - 2: Carlie Needles has emerged as UF's Ms. A-Little-Bit-of-Everything this season! Standing 5-foot-6, she ranks No. 3 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 Hot:
· Cassie Peoples averaged 15.5 points over the last TWO games.
· Scored all of her game-high 18-points in the second half in helping Florida earn a 53-49 victory against Alabama (Feb. 26).
· Scored eight points, including back-to-back three-point-plays, during a crucial 21-10 run after Alabama took a 32-24 lead with 15:53 remaining in the game. Peoples' second three-point-play gave UF a 45-42 lead with 4:12 left.
· Against Georgia (March 1): finished with a team-high 13 points, seven of which came during Florida's second-half run
How Does February Miller Sound?
· Junior January Miller sports an overall average of 7.7 points per game.
· During the month of January, she averaged 5.3 points per game, who 24.2 percent from the field and 53.3 percent (8-15) from the free throw line.
· In the month of FEBRUARY, January averaged 8.7 points, while hitting 44.9 percent of her shots from the floor, including 84.2 percent (16-19) from the free throw line!
· She tied her season-high 16 pts at MissState (Feb. 15) and scored 15 points against Vanderbilt (Feb. 19).
Quotes from the Court – UF Head Coach Amanda Butler:
On Auburn:
“They are playing at a super high level right now. No question that Terri (Coach Williams-Flournoy) has them playing their best basketball of the entire year. They are a completely different team than when we say them in January. We've got to be ready on both ends of the floor, at every facet of the game because they are very talented and very confident right now.”
On the Gator's mindset entering the SEC Tournament:
“The tournament gives you a sense of energy and renewal that no matter which seed you are coming into it, it's a brand new day and that's exactly what we need. It gives us an opportunity to turn the page from the disappointment of the other day (March 1 loss to Georgia) and fast-forward into something that is a lot more positive and you can generate a different set of expectations.”
GAME DAY DATA:
· WHO: #12 Seed Florida (13-16, 5-11 SEC) vs. #13 Seed Auburn (12-17, 3-13 SEC)
· WHAT: SEC Tournament First Round
· WHERE: The Verizon Arena (15,936) * Little Rock, Arkansas
· WHEN: Wed., March 4, 2015 * 7 p.m. ET (6 CT)
GAME NOTES (PDF):
· Florida – http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women/stats/notes/pre/20150304190000.pdf
· Auburn – http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/aub_wbb_gamenotes_current.html
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.wruf.com/listen-live/
· Television: SEC Network Alternate with Cara Capuano, Gail Goestenkors & Steffi Sorensen
o Go to: www.GetSECNetwork.com for channel
· Internet Video: WatchESPN
· Internet Scoring: (FREE) via SECSports.com
· http://www.secsports.com/championship/womens-basketball
· Satellite Radio: Sirius 219 / XM 190
UF's SEC Tournament History
· All-Time Record/Under Butler: 19-34 (34 years) / 5-7 (7 yrs)
· Best Finish: 1997 Runner-Up (lost to Auburn)
Opening Tip
· UF earned the No. 12 seed in the SEC Tournament
· The Gators are 19-34 all-time in SEC Tournament games, including 5-7 under Head Coach Amanda Butler
· 14 of UF's games this year have been decided by 10 points or less (5-9 record), including eight in SEC play (2-6 record).
· Five of UF's seven games in the month of February were on the road - 2 home games: Feb. 8 vs. Tennessee & Feb. 19 vs. Vanderbilt
2015 SEC Tournament Daily Schedule
Little Rock, Arkansas * Verizon Arena
March 4-8, 2015
Wednesday, March 4 – All Games on SEC Network Alternate
Game 1: #12 Florida vs. #13 Auburn – 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)
Game 2: #11 Vanderbilt vs. #14 Alabama – 25 minutes after Game 1
Thursday, March 5 – All Games on SEC Network
Game 3: #8 Ole Miss vs. #9 Arkansas – 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)
Game 4: #5 Texas A&M vs. Game 1 winner – 25 minutes after Game 4
Game 5: #10 Georgia vs. #7 Missouri – 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)
Game 6: #6 Kentucky vs. Game 2 winner – 25 minutes after Game 5
Friday, March 6 – All Games on SEC Network
Game 7: #1 South Carolina vs. Game 3 winner – 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)
Game 8: #4 LSU vs. Game 4 winner – 25 minutes after Game 7
Game 9: #2 Tennessee vs. Game 5 winner – 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)
Game 10: #3 Mississippi State vs. Game 6 winner – 25 minutes after Game 9
Saturday, March 7 – Both Games on ESPNU
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner – 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT)
Game 12: Game 12 winner vs. Game 10 winner– 25 minutes after Game 11
Sunday, March 8 – Game on ESPN
Game 13: game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner – 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT)
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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