Florida Gators

COLUMBUS, Ohio - On the heels of a season-best three-game winning streak the University of Florida women's basketball team returns to action Sunday, Dec. 16 as it travels to Ohio State for a matinee matchup with the Buckeyes in Columbus. Tip off is slated for 1 p.m. ET from St. John Arena as the Gators take on their third Big Ten foe of the season.

The contest will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus with Charlie Danis and Hanna Williford on the call while Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis will handle the radio broadcast on ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM. A subscription to BTN Plus or FloHoops is required to stream the game. 

UF Game Notes | Ohio State Game Notes

The Gators hit the road after registering a 3-1 record during a season-long four-game home swing which they closed out with a 62-38 win over Florida A&M this past Sunday. Against the Rattlers, Florida featured a trio of double-figure scorers and pulled away with a 21-2 third quarter run. Zada Williams, earning her first starting nod since Nov. 15 at Mercer, was excellent for the Gators finishing with a career-high 16 points to go with nine boards in 30 minutes of action. Teammate Delicia Washington added her second-straight double-double while freshman Ariel Johnson finished with 10 or more points for the third time in as many games with a 13 point performance.

During its three-game winning streak Florida held its opponents to just 52.7 points per game and .341 shooting from the field. Along with its sound defense, the Gators also rebounded at a high clip, pulling in 46.3 rebounds per game over the span and outrebounding their opponent in each game. Florida's bench has been superb during the stretch, outscoring opponent's reserves 73-23.

Ohio State, winners of back-to-back Big Ten championships, enters the meeting with a 3-3 record on the year but has recorded victories in two of its past three matchups. The Buckeyes, who are one of three teams in the nation tasked with the challenge of replacing all five of their starters from a season ago, are paced by freshman forward Dorka Juhasz who averages 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest. Bowling Green transfer Carly Santoro also carries a points per game average north of 10, checking in at 10.2. Carmen Grande, a transfer from Ball State, serves as OSU's primary ball handler averaging 4.6 assists per game and she has over 700 dimes in her career. The Buckeyes are under the direction of fifth-year head coach Kevin McGuff who has over 370 career wins and has guided his teams to postseason appearances in 15 of 16 years overall as a head coach.

The series between the Gators and Buckeyes stands at 1-1 as Ohio State claimed the most recent meeting 103-77 in Gainesville in December of last season. Funda Nakkasoglu scored 16 points and dished out six assists, the most recorded in her Florida career, while Delicia Washington added 14 against the veteran-laden Buckeye team that finished the season 28-7. The only other meeting was a 70-65 Florida win in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament played in Bowling Green, Ohio. OSU was the No. 8 seed and UF the No. 9.

Following Sunday's contest with Ohio State, Florida travels to Las Vegas to take part in the Duel in the Desert Dec. 20 and Dec. 21. The Gators are slated to battle Utah in the first round and will draw either UNLV or Hawaii in their second game. All games will be played at UNLV's Cox Pavilion. 

Florida at Ohio State
Time & Date: Sunday, Dec. 16 | 1 p.m. ET
Live Stream: BTN Plus
Live Stats: Link
Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850 AM WRUF
Records: Florida (3-6, 0-0) | Ohio State (3-3, 0-0) 

Notables

• The Gators' three-game winning streak is their longest since winning three in a row vs. Savannah State, Jacksonville and Oklahoma a season ago and it ties the longest stretch of consecutive wins during Cam Newbauer's tenure. Coincidentally, Florida faced Ohio State in the game following the winning streak a season ago and it will have the same opponent with a three-game winning streak on the line again on Sunday.
• After sitting out the 2018 Spring and Fall semesters, TCU transfer Danielle Rainey is set to make her Florida debut on Sunday. The Washington, D.C. native was forced to sit out 22 games due to the NCAA's transfer policy and Sunday will mark her first appearance in a game since Feb. 27, 2017 when she suited up for the Horned Frogs against Texas Tech.
• Funda Nakkasoglu is the fastest Florida women's basketball player ever to 100 made three-pointers (35 games) she surpassed the previous record of 41 games set by Steffi Sorensen 2008-10.
• Delicia Washington leads the SEC in terms of rebounding by a guard, ranks 13th nationally and sixth among Power 5 guards. 
• Ohio State marks the third and final Big Ten foe Florida will face in 2018-19, its most against any league during the non-conference slate. UF fell in consecutive matchups to the Northwestern Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers in November.
• Assistant Coach John McCray, a Cleveland native, is an Ohio State alumnus having earned his bachelor's degree in 2011. McCray served as a student manager for the Buckeyes women's team and also spent a season as a video assistant with the 2011 Big Ten Tournament Champion Buckeyes.
• Ariel Johnson has scored 39 points in the last three games; in the first six games she had a total of 24 points. The California native has knocked down 11 three-pointers during the span, shooting 47.8 percent from distance. She also established a career high in rebounds (9) and tied her career high in assists (5) vs. Bethune-Cookman.
• UF is 3-1 when outrebounding its opponent; its lone loss came against Gardner-Webb in the season opener. The Gators are winning the rebounding battle 72-54 over the last three games.
• The Gators are allowing just 45.5 points and a .314 field goal percentage over their last two games. Florida held FAMU to just 15 second half points, including just two third quarter tallies, marking its lowest points allowed in a quarter since Nov. 24, 2015 when the Gators held Savannah State scoreless in the game's opening period. 

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