Sophomore Kristina Moore has started UF's first four games.
Gators Host No. 18 Hoosiers Friday Night
Thursday, November 21, 2019 | Women's Basketball
Women's basketball set for challenge against nationally-ranked Indiana.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida women's basketball team (4-0) continues its season-long six-game home swing when it welcomes No. 18 Indiana (3-0) to Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Friday, Nov. 22. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET as the Gators and Hoosiers meet on the hardwood for the second-straight year.
Friday also marks redshirt-sophomore Emer Nichols' Player Day. All 12 players on the roster will be celebrated with special video board content and other exciting in-game entertainment during home games this season. Nichols, a Texas native, is in her first year of eligibility with the Gators after transferring in from Texas A&M and sitting out last season.
Florida has opened its season with four-straight wins for the first time since 2016-17 season and in its most recent action this past Monday it knocked off visiting Presbyterian, 60-46. Featuring four double-figure scorers and a balanced offensive attack, the Gators never trailed in the matchup and extended a lead as large as 16.
Freshman guard Lavender Briggs led the team in scoring for the third-straight game, finishing with 11 points. Briggs became the first Florida freshman since 2002-03 (Bernice Mosby) to average 13 or more points, finish in double figures three times and post two double-doubles in their first four career games.
Redshirt-junior guard Kiki Smith, who is doing a little bit of everything through the first four games; averaging 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals, scored 11 against Presbyterian. Ariel Johnson and Zada Williams added 10 points apiece.
Following an O'Connell Center record 13 three-pointers against Samford two days prior, the Gators weren't able to dial it in as effectively from three-point range, but showed another dimension to their offense with 30 points in the paint.
The Gators' rebounding efforts have been strong to open the season. UF ranks nationally in rebounds per game (48.3, No. 21) and rebound margin (+13, No. 28) as of Nov. 19. Florida has outrebounded its opponent in all four games this season.
Friday marks the fifth meeting between the programs as Indiana holds a 3-1 edge. The series hasn't been played in Gainesville since the first rendition back in 1981 with two neutral site tilts and a matchup at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall last season in between.
On Nov. 21, 2018, Indiana posted an 84-63 victory in Bloomington. Florida held a 19-17 edge after the first quarter but saw the host Hoosiers pull away in the third quarter as they registered their 14th-straight home win
The 3-0 Hoosiers enter the matchup ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25, their highest-ever ranking in program history. Indiana has opened the season with wins over Mount St. Mary's, Nicholls State and Jackson State, all at home. IU, returning four starters from last season's 21-13 squad that earned an NCAA Tournament berth, averages 92.3 points per game - a top 10 mark in all of NCAA Division I. Redshirt-junior Ali Patberg, junior Jaelynn Penn and senior Brenna Wise all return for IU after averaging double-figures a season ago, but through the first three games, freshman forward Mackenzie Holmes paces IU in scoring (17.3) and rebounding (6.3). When the squads squared off in Bloomington last season, Wise led the way with a double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds).
IU is under the direction of sixth-year head coach Teri Moren. Moren, who has won 20 or more games in four-straight seasons, is in her 16th year overall as a head coach and spent the previous four seasons before joining IU at Indiana State. Indiana was slated to finish third in the Big Ten Preseason Poll and Patberg, the Notre Dame transfer, earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors.
Following Friday night's contest, Florida returns to the court Tuesday, Nov. 26 when it hosts nationally-ranked FSU for the Sunshine Showdown.
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| GAME INFO |
|---|
| Date: | Friday, Nov. 22 |
| Time: | 6 p.m. ET |
| Matchup: | Florida (4-0) vs. No. 18 Indiana (3-0) |
| Location: | Gainesville, Fla. | Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell |
| TV: | SEC Network+ with Kyle Crooks & Brittany Davis |
| Live Stats: | Here |
| Radio: | WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM with Tom Collett & Haley Lorenzen |
| Game Notes: | Florida | Indiana |
| Promotions: | Emer Nichols Player Day | Buy One, Get One Free Tickets |
| Tickets: | Here |
Friday also marks redshirt-sophomore Emer Nichols' Player Day. All 12 players on the roster will be celebrated with special video board content and other exciting in-game entertainment during home games this season. Nichols, a Texas native, is in her first year of eligibility with the Gators after transferring in from Texas A&M and sitting out last season.
Florida has opened its season with four-straight wins for the first time since 2016-17 season and in its most recent action this past Monday it knocked off visiting Presbyterian, 60-46. Featuring four double-figure scorers and a balanced offensive attack, the Gators never trailed in the matchup and extended a lead as large as 16.
Freshman guard Lavender Briggs led the team in scoring for the third-straight game, finishing with 11 points. Briggs became the first Florida freshman since 2002-03 (Bernice Mosby) to average 13 or more points, finish in double figures three times and post two double-doubles in their first four career games.
Redshirt-junior guard Kiki Smith, who is doing a little bit of everything through the first four games; averaging 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals, scored 11 against Presbyterian. Ariel Johnson and Zada Williams added 10 points apiece.
Following an O'Connell Center record 13 three-pointers against Samford two days prior, the Gators weren't able to dial it in as effectively from three-point range, but showed another dimension to their offense with 30 points in the paint.
The Gators' rebounding efforts have been strong to open the season. UF ranks nationally in rebounds per game (48.3, No. 21) and rebound margin (+13, No. 28) as of Nov. 19. Florida has outrebounded its opponent in all four games this season.
Friday marks the fifth meeting between the programs as Indiana holds a 3-1 edge. The series hasn't been played in Gainesville since the first rendition back in 1981 with two neutral site tilts and a matchup at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall last season in between.
On Nov. 21, 2018, Indiana posted an 84-63 victory in Bloomington. Florida held a 19-17 edge after the first quarter but saw the host Hoosiers pull away in the third quarter as they registered their 14th-straight home win
The 3-0 Hoosiers enter the matchup ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25, their highest-ever ranking in program history. Indiana has opened the season with wins over Mount St. Mary's, Nicholls State and Jackson State, all at home. IU, returning four starters from last season's 21-13 squad that earned an NCAA Tournament berth, averages 92.3 points per game - a top 10 mark in all of NCAA Division I. Redshirt-junior Ali Patberg, junior Jaelynn Penn and senior Brenna Wise all return for IU after averaging double-figures a season ago, but through the first three games, freshman forward Mackenzie Holmes paces IU in scoring (17.3) and rebounding (6.3). When the squads squared off in Bloomington last season, Wise led the way with a double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds).
IU is under the direction of sixth-year head coach Teri Moren. Moren, who has won 20 or more games in four-straight seasons, is in her 16th year overall as a head coach and spent the previous four seasons before joining IU at Indiana State. Indiana was slated to finish third in the Big Ten Preseason Poll and Patberg, the Notre Dame transfer, earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors.
Following Friday night's contest, Florida returns to the court Tuesday, Nov. 26 when it hosts nationally-ranked FSU for the Sunshine Showdown.
| NOTABLES |
|---|
- UF has started its season 4-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 slate when it opened 4-0 also.
- Only three freshmen in the last 20 years of Florida women's basketball have averaged at least 13 points per game and finished in double figures in three of their first four career games, the last to do it before Briggs was Sha Brooks in 2005-06 (16.3 points per game, 4 double-figure scoring games).
- In each of its last two games Florida has featured four double-figure scorers. The Gators only had four with 10 or more points in six games last season and it only happened it back-to-back games once (Texas Tech and Bethune-Cookman).
- Coach Newbauer, an Indiana native, has many ties back to IU. His sister, Andrea, played basketball at Indiana from 2010-2014. During his first season coaching at Belmont in 2013-14, the Bruins played at Indiana against his sister in the WNIT during Andrea's senior season. The game came down to the final possession with Belmont dropping a heartbreaker, 48-47. His sister's first-ever basket game against him when he was coaching at Georgia in 2010. Newbauer graduated from IUPU Fort Wayne in 2001 and also played high school basketball in the state.
- Florida is in search of its first win over an opponent ranked in the AP Top 25 since Feb. 4, 2016 when it defeated No. 12 Texas A&M, 83-81 in Gainesville.
- UF hasn't opened 5-0 since the 2000-01 campaign when it won its first nine en route to a 24-6 record and NCAA Tournament appearance.
- With Indiana (No. 18) and FSU (No. 12) on the docket in UF's next two games, the Gators will take on ranked foes in succession for the first time since the 2017-18 season when they battled No. 15 Tennessee and No. 19 UGA in late February.
- UF is just 10-26 all time against the Big Ten. Last year, it battled three Big Ten squads (IU, Ohio St. and Northwestern).
- Friday's contest marks the third of six consecutive home games for UF, the team's longest homestand since the 2005-06 season when it hosted eight consecutive games.
| SEASON AND SINGLE GAME TICKET INFO |
|---|
- It's not too late to purchase season tickets with packages starting as low as just $45 and single game tickets are also available. Click here for ticket information.
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