Monday, December 14
Gainesville, FL
1 PM
Florida Gators
vs
Tarleton State
Sophomore guard Nina Rickards and the Gators look to push their record to 5-0 at home.
Gators Host Tarleton State Monday at 1 p.m.
Sunday, December 13, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Women's basketball returns home for matchup against Tarleton State
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Florida women's basketball team (5-1) returns to game action Monday, Dec. 14 when it hosts Tarleton State (3-3) at 1 p.m. ET from Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The contest was a late addition to the schedule as it was announced on Dec. 10.
Florida, which has started 5-1 for the second-straight season, last took the floor Wednesday, Dec. 9 at UNC Asheville. The Gators posted a 70-48 victory over the Bulldogs, notching their first win away from Gainesville this season. UF featured a trio in double figures and two of them were names you would expect in Lavender Briggs, who led the way with 20, and senior point guard Kiki Smith, who registered 15 points and six assists. The third was sophomore Faith Dut, who had a career night with 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Registering their largest margin of victory on the road in over five years, the Gators shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and limited UNC Asheville to a mere 29.3 percent shooting mark on its attempts.
Smith has enjoyed a smashing start to her season campaign, leading the team in scoring (18.3), rebounding (7.0), assists (3.7), steals (3.0) and minutes played through the first six games. The left-handed lead guard leads the entire SEC in steals and has already recorded two double-doubles in which she scored 20 or more points. Smith, who increased her scoring production by nearly 70 percent from her sophomore to junior season, is on track for another big leap forward as a senior. Her play has elevated her into the conversation as one of the best point guard in the conference.
Briggs, who recently became the fastest Florida player in 14 years to surpass the 500-career point mark, has provided steady offensive production with a 16.3 points per game average to go with 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. The Preseason All-SEC Second Team selection, has scored 20 or more points in three games already this season and has led the team in assists in four contests. Joining Smith and Briggs with a double-figure scoring average through six games is shooting guard Nina Rickards at 10.3. Rickards leads the team with an impressive 47.6 percent shooting mark from three-point range.
Florida is fresh off a stretch in which it played five games in a nine-day window including four in just seven days.
The Gators have scored 80 or more points in three games already this year and their offense has been impressive. But so too has their defense. The Gators are limiting opponents to a mere 18.1% mark from three-point range this season, which leads the SEC. Florida limited UNC Asheville to just 2-of-25 shooting from distance (8%) last time out.
Tarleton State completed its transition from Division II to Division I this past July. The Texans made the leap from the Lone Star Conference, where they competed from 1994-2020, to the Western Athletic Conference. Helping lead the team's transition on the hardwood is seventh-year head coach Misty Wilson. Wilson, a former standout student-athlete at Tarleton, is in her 19th season overall in Stephenville, Texas. The program posted three-consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins to close out its tenure as a Division II team. This season, the Texans are off to a 3-3 start, having played three Division I opponents and three non-Division I foes. Monday marks Tarleton State's third game in a five-day span and its fourth road game of the season. The Texans earned a 95-27 win over Champion Christian (Association of Christian College Athletics) on Saturday, setting a program record with 16 made three-pointers. Freshman Iyana Dorsey leads the Texans in scoring (14.0) and assists (17). Junior forward Marissa Escamilla (13.3) and junior college transfer Emily Cunningham (12.0) also average double-digit points for TSU.
Monday marks the first meeting between the Gators and Texans.
Tipoff Tip Ins
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The contest was a late addition to the schedule as it was announced on Dec. 10.
| GAME INFO |
|---|
| Date: | Monday, Dec. 14 |
| Time: | 1 p.m. ET |
| Matchup: | Florida (5-1) vs. Tarleton State (3-3) |
| Location: | Gainesville, Fla. | Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center |
| TV: | SEC Network+ with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis |
| Live Stats: | Here |
| Radio: | WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM with Ryan Urquhart |
| Notes: | Florida | Tarleton State |
| Tickets: | Here |
| Parking: | Parking restrictions in the surrounding Green lots will be lifted for the game. Fans are encouraged to park in the Green section of the parking structure (second and third floors). |
Florida, which has started 5-1 for the second-straight season, last took the floor Wednesday, Dec. 9 at UNC Asheville. The Gators posted a 70-48 victory over the Bulldogs, notching their first win away from Gainesville this season. UF featured a trio in double figures and two of them were names you would expect in Lavender Briggs, who led the way with 20, and senior point guard Kiki Smith, who registered 15 points and six assists. The third was sophomore Faith Dut, who had a career night with 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Registering their largest margin of victory on the road in over five years, the Gators shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and limited UNC Asheville to a mere 29.3 percent shooting mark on its attempts.
Smith has enjoyed a smashing start to her season campaign, leading the team in scoring (18.3), rebounding (7.0), assists (3.7), steals (3.0) and minutes played through the first six games. The left-handed lead guard leads the entire SEC in steals and has already recorded two double-doubles in which she scored 20 or more points. Smith, who increased her scoring production by nearly 70 percent from her sophomore to junior season, is on track for another big leap forward as a senior. Her play has elevated her into the conversation as one of the best point guard in the conference.
Briggs, who recently became the fastest Florida player in 14 years to surpass the 500-career point mark, has provided steady offensive production with a 16.3 points per game average to go with 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. The Preseason All-SEC Second Team selection, has scored 20 or more points in three games already this season and has led the team in assists in four contests. Joining Smith and Briggs with a double-figure scoring average through six games is shooting guard Nina Rickards at 10.3. Rickards leads the team with an impressive 47.6 percent shooting mark from three-point range.
Florida is fresh off a stretch in which it played five games in a nine-day window including four in just seven days.
The Gators have scored 80 or more points in three games already this year and their offense has been impressive. But so too has their defense. The Gators are limiting opponents to a mere 18.1% mark from three-point range this season, which leads the SEC. Florida limited UNC Asheville to just 2-of-25 shooting from distance (8%) last time out.
Tarleton State completed its transition from Division II to Division I this past July. The Texans made the leap from the Lone Star Conference, where they competed from 1994-2020, to the Western Athletic Conference. Helping lead the team's transition on the hardwood is seventh-year head coach Misty Wilson. Wilson, a former standout student-athlete at Tarleton, is in her 19th season overall in Stephenville, Texas. The program posted three-consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins to close out its tenure as a Division II team. This season, the Texans are off to a 3-3 start, having played three Division I opponents and three non-Division I foes. Monday marks Tarleton State's third game in a five-day span and its fourth road game of the season. The Texans earned a 95-27 win over Champion Christian (Association of Christian College Athletics) on Saturday, setting a program record with 16 made three-pointers. Freshman Iyana Dorsey leads the Texans in scoring (14.0) and assists (17). Junior forward Marissa Escamilla (13.3) and junior college transfer Emily Cunningham (12.0) also average double-digit points for TSU.
Monday marks the first meeting between the Gators and Texans.
Tipoff Tip Ins
- The Gators are off to a 4-0 mark at home for the first time since the 2016-17 season. The Gators are averaging 81.5 points per game in the friendly confines and outscoring opponents by 23 points.
- The Gators will take on their second-straight first-time opponent Monday when they host Tarleton State.
- UF set a new season high with 18 assists in its win over UNC Asheville. Three players had four or more assists including Kiki Smith who registered six to lead the way.
- Against UNC Asheville, UF recorded a season-high 44 points in the paint.
- The Gators have shot above 70 percent from the free throw line in four games already this season and are shooting 69 percent as a unit. A year ago, Florida struggled to shoot it from the free throw line, converting at just 59 percent.
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