GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Following back-to-back road games, the University of Florida women's basketball team returns home to host Auburn Sunday, Jan. 17 for a 1 p.m. tilt at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Both the Gators and Tigers, in search of their first SEC win, will square off on the SEC Network with Mike Couzens and former Gator Steffi Sorensen on the call of the national broadcast.
| Date: |
Sunday, Jan. 17 |
| Time: |
1 p.m. ET |
| Matchup: |
Florida (7-6, 0-5) vs. Auburn (5-6, 0-3) |
| Location: |
Exatech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center | Gainesville, Fla. |
| TV: |
SEC Network |
| Live Stats: |
Here |
| Radio: |
WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis |
| Game Notes: |
Florida | Auburn |
The Gators last took the floor Thursday evening at No. 17 Arkansas. Florida twice pulled with two possessions late in the fourth but fell 84-80 to the high-powered Hogs. After falling behind 28-18 after the first stanza, Florida won all three of the ensuing quarters against the No. 17 Razorbacks largely due to the sensational performance from sophomore guard
Lavender Briggs.
Briggs tallied a career-high 41 points, notching the fourth-highest single game total in program history and the highest of any SEC player this season. Becoming the fourth player in all of NCAA Division I to eclipse the 40-point plateau this season, Briggs set new career highs in field goals (17) and three-pointers made (6) and led the Gators' spirited charge against the host Razorbacks. Briggs' 41 points were the most scored by a sophomore in program history and most by any Gator since former First Team All-SEC selection Ronni Williams scored 43 against Vanderbilt in 2017. In the fourth quarter, Briggs scored 16 points. Through her first five SEC games, Briggs is averaging 24.2 points per game against the nation's top talent.
FLORIDA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SINGLE GAME RECORD FOR POINTS SCORED
| PLAYER |
PTS |
OPP |
DATE |
| Quientella Bonner |
45 |
Chattanooga |
1/22/1977 |
| Merlakia Jones |
44 |
Texas |
1/25/1995 |
| Ronni Williams |
43 |
at Vanderbilt |
1/29/2017 |
| Lavender Briggs |
41 |
at Arkansas |
1/14/2021 |
Despite the loss Thursday, Florida had many positives to draw upon. The Gators scored 80 or more points for the sixth time this season and shot over 50 percent in the second quarter (9-of-13) and the fourth quarter (8-of-15). Playing in attack mode all game, Florida shot 47.5 percent from the floor for the duration and got to the line 24 times, its second highest mark of the season.
Senior guard Kiki Smith has put together an impressive stat line for her senior campaign, averaging 15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Smith has been steady all season for Florida with double figures in 12 of its 13 games but over the last two, she's been excellent with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists at UGA and 21 points and five assists at No. 17 Arkansas. At Arkansas, Briggs and Smith combined to score 62 of UF's 80 points.
The last rendition of this series was a memorable one for the Gators as they posted an 83-63 win at Auburn on January 9, 2020. Paced by Briggs' 19 points, the Gators shot a season-high 61.5 percent from the floor including a dazzling 58.8 percent mark from beyond the arc. Florida's 61.5 percent field goal percentage was its best ever in SEC play and its 20-point win was its largest ever over the Tigers.
Auburn holds a 37-22 edge in terms of the all-time series. The Gators have fared better at home, at 11-12, but have dropped the last two against the Tigers at the O'Dome.
Auburn enters the matchup with a 5-6 overall record which includes an 0-3 mark in conference play. The Tigers, who opened the season with matchups at LSU, at Ole Miss and at home against Georgia, saw their last two games postponed due to a combination of positive tests, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within their program. Preseason First Team All-SEC selection Unique Thompson leads the team in scoring (18.8), rebounding (15.3) and field goal percentage (.571). The Tigers are under the direction of ninth-year head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, who has amassed over 130 wins on the Plains. The Penn State graduate and former Georgetown head coach has guided the Tigers to five postseason runs including three NCAA tournament appearances.
Notables
- The SEC announced Friday that UF's contest at Vanderbilt, originally slated for Dec. 31, has been rescheduled for Jan. 21 in the Music City. The league announced a revised three-game slate to be played on Jan. 21 as a result of game postponements during the 2021 season due to the impact of COVID-19.
- With the rescheduling of the Vanderbilt game, Florida will play consecutive road games at Vanderbilt on Jan. 21 and at Ole Miss on Jan. 24 next week.
- Sunday's SEC Network analyst Steffi Sorensen played for the Gators from 2008-10 after transferring in from Gainesville's Sante Fe College. The Jacksonsville native was a prolific shooter during her time and ranks top five in program history in career 3-point field goal percentage (.373) and has the third-best single season 3-point field goal percentage (.392) set in 2008-09. She graduated from UF with a bachelor's degree in Telecommunications – Management in 2010.
- Sunday marks UF's sixth nationally-televised contest and third-straight game on SEC Network.
- Nina Rickards is a player who impacts all facets of the game for Florida. While Briggs and Smith tend to receive most of the attention, Rickards is an under-the-radar performer as she leads the team in three-point percentage (40.5) and rebounds (7.0) and has collected five double-figure scoring games. In addition, the sophomore from New York is a physical defensive presence.
- After just 12 points combined through her first three conference games, Kristina Moore chipped in with 11 points on the road at UGA. Moore added five points and five rebounds at Arkansas.
- Floor Toonders has been a beast on the boards with 14 rebounds in her last two games. In the six games leading up she had 16 total.
- Florida ranks No. 60 is the most recent NET rankings while Auburn ranks No. 136.
- Auburn leads the conference in steals (12.5) and ranks third in offensive rebounding (15.0).
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