Florida Gators

JONESBORO, Ark. – Sophomore Eleanna Christinaki scored 23 points and led four Gators in double-figure scoring as Florida earned a hard-fought 71-60 victory against Arkansas State on Tuesday evening.
 
The Gator win snapped the Red Wolves 25-game home winning streak at the Convocation Center that dated back to the 2013-14 season.
 
Every time throughout the game when Florida tried to distance itself on the scoreboard, A-State found a way reel the Gators back in, relying a lot on the long ball where it landed 9-of-22 during the game.
 
With the exception of the first bucket of the game, the Gators led wire-to-wire. A-State closed within one point early in the second half using four straight threes, before Christinaki, Haley Lorenzen and Tyshara Fleming scored during a 12-2 run and lifted the Gator lead back to double-figures.
 
ASU came answered with eight consecutive points and were back within three points, 50-47, with 9:29 remaining in the game.
 
The teams traded scores for the next two minutes and with the Gators holding a 54-51 edge and 7:23 left on the clock, the visitors closed the game on a 17-9 run to win their fourth game of the young season.
 
Ronni Williams scored six points during that final spree and Christinaki adding five, while Lorenzen, Fleming and Dyandria Anderson each chipping in two points.
 
 
How it all Began
After Arkansas State scored the first points of the game, Florida countered with the next nine scored by four different players and seemed to be in control early.
 
The Red Wolves, however, showed why they sported a 25-game home winning streak – the fourth longest active streak in the country and cut the Gator's lead to five by the end of the first quarter.
 
Florida became turnover-prone, committing four in the last two minutes of the quarter when A-State closed with four points.
 
Christinaki charged out of the huddle and began the second quarter scoring six straight points on two possessions to start an 11-2 run and the Gators assumed a 28-16 advantage.
 
Back-to-back three-pointers for the hosts dropped UF's lead down to six and then Christinaki, UF's leading scorer, was whistled for her third personal foul and the Gator's offense seemed to stall. Meanwhile, the Red Wolves enjoyed success from deep as their final five buckets of the first half were three-pointers and Florida entered the half up just 36-31 after leading by as many as 12 with less than seven minutes remaining.


Double-Digit Gators

• Christinaki reached the 20-point mark for the third consecutive game, while collecting six rebounds before fouling out after 22 minutes of play.
• Lorenzen netted 10 points with six rebounds and a team-best three steals.
• Freshman Delicia Washington added 11 points and six rebounds for the second double-figure scoring game of her career.
• Fleming had 10 points and a career-high-tying nine rebounds, just missing the first double-double of her career.
• Dyandria Anderson flirted with a double-double and nearly a triple-double, as she finished with nine assists, eight rebounds and six points in 36 minutes.

 
 
Updated Team Records:

• Florida: 4-0
• Arkansas State: 0-4

 
 
National Rankings:

• Florida: No. 16 Associated Press; No. 20 USA Today/WBCA
• Arkansas State: not ranked

 
 
The Updated Series: Florida vs. Arkansas State

• 4-game Series: UF leads 4-0 (UF Home: 2-0; Away: 1-0; Neutral: 1-0)

 
 
Entering Tuesday's Game…

• Arkansas State, which is the defending Sun Belt Conference champion, had won a program-record 25 straight games home games dating back to the 2013-14 season; the streak was the fourth longest active streak in the nation.
• Florida is the first top-25 team playing at the Convocation Center since the 2009-10 season.
• A-State head coach Brian Boyer's next win will be the 300th of his 10-year career - all with the Red Wolves.

 
 
Quotes from the Court – UF Head Coach Amanda Butler

• "In key moments we made plays. It wasn't one of our better performances, but Arkansas State is a team that hasn't lost on their home court in 25 games. They are very well-coached. They shoot the ball really well. The best thing about today's game is that we learned more things about ourselves and we made plays when we had to."

 

• "I thought Dyandria Anderson was a highlight with nine assists. She kept her composure, played 36 tough minutes and getting eight rebounds. I think that's just a stellar performance all the way around for her."

 

• "Overall, we have to do better. We did not come out with the defensive intensity that we need to. We didn't defend the three-point line. You have to give Arkansas State a lot credit. I really was impressed with how hard they played."

 
 
Gator Pronunciations from this release:

• DYANDRIA Anderson: dee-ANN-dree-uh
• ELEANNA CHRISTINAKI: L-ee-on-uh chris-tin-OCK-ee
• TYSHARA Fleming: tie-SHEER-uh

 
 
What's Next for the Gators

• Who: #16/20 Florida (4-0) at Northwestern (3-1)
• When: Fri., Nov. 25 * 8 pm ET/7pm CT
• Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) * Evanston, Ill.

• Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville 95.3 with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
• Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)
• Television: none
• Streaming Video: BTN Plus on BTN2Go.com
• Internet Scoring: LIVE link through FloridaGators.com
• Of Note: this is the first meeting between the two programs; it's the second game of a Northwestern basketball double-header

 
 
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