GAINESVILLE, Fla. - After three-straight games away from home, the University of Florida women's basketball team returns to Gainesville to host Charleston Southern in its final non-conference action of the 2018-19 slate on Sunday, Dec. 30. Tipoff from Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
The contest will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Kyle Crooks & Brittany Davis on the call while Tom Collett and
Haley Lorenzen will handle the radio broadcast on ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM.
Following the game, fans are invited to stick around for free ice cream while supplies last as part of the Sunday Sundaes promotion and for a post-game player autograph session.
Game Notes UF |
Game Notes Charleston Southern
The Gators look to the friendly confines of the O'Connell Center after a long road trip resulted in three-straight setbacks. Florida began what was ultimately an eight-day journey with a narrow 46-41 defeat at defending Big Ten Champion Ohio State and concluded the trek with a 56-53 loss at UNLV in the consolation round of the 2018 Duel in the Desert. Sandwiched in between the two results was a matchup with now one of the nine remaining undefeated teams in the nation in the 11-0 Utah Utes. In its most recent action against tournament host UNLV, Florida led at the half for the seventh time this season but was unable to hold off the Runnin' Rebels who claimed the advantage with a 15-10 scoring advantage in the third quarter.
Funda Nakkasoglu, finishing in double figures for the eighth time in 10 games played, paced the Gators with 16 points while
Ariel Johnson and Kiki Smith both finished with a season-high seven assists on the afternoon.
"The main things we are focused on are toughness and playing gritty for all four quarters. It comes down to focus and being locked in. We've been doing really well in competing with teams but have experienced small patches where we lose focus on playing our game. This has hurt us because then we are forced to play catch-up basketball. I think we just need to be locked in for whole 40 minutes," said Nakkasoglu.
Nakkasoglu, who ranks third in the SEC in scoring at 17.8 points per game, returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two contests leading up to the road swing. The redshirt-senior led the Gators in scoring over the stretch and connected on eight treys while fellow Australian
Kristina Moore also found her shooting touch, notching two three-pointers in each of UF's last two contests.
Zada Williams provided a real spark off the bench, averaging 11.5 points per game during Florida's stay in Las Vegas, earning Duel in the Desert All-Tournament team honors.
After just one game with at least 12 assists through its first six games, Florida has racked up 12 or more assists in five of its last six games.
"I think it's the experience we are getting playing with each other, but we are also really focusing on passing at the beginning of possessions. Just getting more ball movement and more spacing. We know that the defense is going to be at their best for the first 10-15 seconds of the shot clock so we are trying to get the ball movement going quickly. We know that this will create opportunities later in the shot clock and that's where we are going to get our better shots. We always say we want to leave a good shot for a great shot," added Nakkasoglu.
Charleston Southern, pegged to finish sixth in the Big South this season, returned 75 percent of its scoring output from a season ago and enters the contest with a 3-7 record. CSU saw its two-game winning streak snapped when it fell at College of Charleston 79-52 in its most recent matchup on Dec. 19. Senior guard Ke'Asia Jackson leads the Buccaneers with a 12.4 points per game scoring average while junior Jasmine Blackmon paces the club with a 5.6 rebounds per game clip. Rachel Burns. a Preseason All-Big South Second Team selection and a Gainesville, Va. native, also averages double figures at 10.9 points per game. The Buccaneers are under the direction of seventh-year head coach Fred Applin who has amassed a record of 47-125 at the helm in Charleston.
Florida holds a 2-0 edge in the all time series between the Gators and Buccaneers. The squads last squared off Nov. 25, 2014 when UF cruised to a 92-64 win in Gainesville after erasing an early deficit with a 31-4 run.
"We need to make sure we are directing our energy and intensity in the right direction in order to get the get task done. Energy, effort, attitude and sticking with the game plan are the biggest things for us right now and I believe that if we key in on those that we will see good things happen. Our focus can't be results oriented. Our focus can't be centered on if we have the lead or if we are down, it has to be consistent and all the time," said Florida head coach Cameron Newbauer.
Following Sunday's non-league finale, UF opens its SEC season on the road when it travels to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide on Thursday, Jan. 3.
Florida vs. Charleston Southern Broadcast Info
Time & Date: Sunday, Dec. 30 | 2 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC Network+
Live Stats: Link
Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850 AM WRUF
Records: Florida (3-9) | Charleston Southern (3-7)
Notables
- Florida has won seven-straight non-conference finales and has won its last two by an average of 42.5 points. The Gators last loss in their final non-conference action of the season occurred during the 2010-11 campaign when they fell at Florida State 74-72.
- Former Gator letterwinner and 1,000 point scorer Haley Lorenzen will be making her radio debut serving as an analyst on ESPN WRUF Sunday. Lorenzen was present the last time UF faced Charleston Southern but in a different role, as she scored a team-high 17 points in the Gators' win back in 2014.
- Florida is 8-2 all time against Big South squads and its second loss came this season in the 2018-19 season opener to Gardner-Webb.
- Florida has held its opponent to under 60 points in four of the last five games, limiting opponents to just a .354 shooting percentage in that span.
- Florida began the month of December with three-straight wins but has dropped three-straight since. Florida will look to close out the month of December 4-3 as it takes the court for the final time in 2018 on Sunday.
- Seven of Florida's nine losses have been by 10 or fewer points and three have been decided by two or fewer possessions. A season ago Florida played in 15 games decided by 10 or fewer (4-11).
- UF has led after the first quarter in seven games and is outscoring opponents 186-180 in opening stanzas on the season.
- Florida has outrebounded its opponent in four of the last six games after winning the war on the glass just once over its first six contests. The Gators have held the edge in rebounds in all three of their wins this season.
- Florida has already battled eight teams that qualified for the postseason a season ago. NCAA Tournament (FSU, Mercer, Ohio State), WNIT (Indiana, Bethune-Cookman, Utah, UNLV) WBI (Northeastern).
- Florida ranks 19th nationally in three-pointers attempted (310) and ranks third in the SEC in three-pointers per game (7.8).
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