Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida women's basketball team returns to game action Sunday, Jan. 31 when it travels to No. 20 Tennessee for a matchup with the nationally-ranked Vols in Knoxville. Battling its fifth AP Top 25 foe, UF will tip-off at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU from Thompson-Boling Arena.
 

GAME INFO

Date:	Sunday, Jan. 31
Time:	2 p.m. ET
Matchup:	Florida (9-7, 2-6) at No. 20 Tennessee (11-3, 5-1)
Location:	Thompson-Boling Arena
TV:	ESPNU with Sam Gore and Tamika Catchings
Live Stats:	Here
Radio:	WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis
Game Notes:	Florida | Tennessee

The Gators will look to bounce back after a slow start and off-shooting night Thursday vs. Missouri. In a back-and-forth contest, Florida found itself within a single possession on several occasions late in the game, but was not able to get over the hump. Lavender Briggs, finishing with her third double-double of the season and 10th of her career, tallied a game-high 19 points along with 11 boards while senior floor general Kiki Smith scored 14 and added six rebounds. The Gators' defense and effort on the glass kept them in it all night long despite a tough shooting performance from the floor and from the free throw line.
 
Coach Newbauer missed Thursday's contest vs. Missouri due to health and safety protocols. Associate head coach Kelly Rae Finley served as Florida's acting head coach for the second-straight game.
 
Florida's defense has been much improved this season. In seven of their first eight SEC games, the Gators have held their opponent below their scoring average. UF limited Missouri, which entered the game shooting 55 percent from the field on the season, to just 33.3 percent shooting. Florida held nationally-ranked Mississippi State to 15 points fewer than its scoring average coming in (83 to 68) and against Georgia it held the Lady Bulldogs to 10 points fewer (78 to 68). Against Auburn, it limited the Tigers to just 54 points and held them to just 27.9 percent shooting from the floor, the lowest field goal percentage it has allowed to an opponent all season.
 
The sophomore standout Briggs continues to produce major results at a consistent clip, ranking No. 4 in the SEC in scoring at 19.2 points per game. Putting together 11-consecutive games with 15 or more points overall, in league play Briggs has pushed her game to even greater level averaging 21.8 points per game. Earlier this month Briggs exploded for 41 points in UF's narrow setback at nationally-ranked Arkansas, one of the top performances in program history and in the nation this season.
 
The Maryland native Smith continues to ascend in her senior campaign and has 20 or more points in three of her last four games. Leading the team in assists and steals and ranking second in scoring and rebounding, Smith does a little bit of everything and has been the tempo setter for the Gators all year. Over her last five games, Smith like Briggs, has found a new gear. The left-handed lead guard is averaging 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
 
UF is 4-1 when Briggs & Smith combine for at least 40 points. The dynamic duo has combined for 33. 41, 40 and 62 points, respectively, over their last four.
 
In addition to their strong efforts on defense and the outstanding play of Briggs and Smith, Florida's ability to value possessions and cut back on turnovers has been key. Florida committed just 10 turnovers Thursday, having 10 or fewer miscues for the seventh time this season. The Gators only had two such games over the past two seasons combined.
 
For the first time this season, Florida won the rebounding battle but lost the game (7-1) after it held a 54-47 edge on the glass vs. Missouri. Florida will need to hold its own in rebounding against the Lady Vols who rank No. 2 in the SEC in rebound margin (+14.9).
 
The No. 20 Lady Vols enter the matchup 11-3 overall and 5-1 in SEC play. Tennessee, like Florida has battled four AP Top 25 foes, including two in its last three games. The Lady Vols came oh so close to defeating No. 3 UCONN on Jan. 21 but fell 67-61. Tennessee irked out a 68-67 victory Thursday vs. Ole Miss in its most recent matchup. Kellie Harper, a former Tennessee guard from 1995-99, is in her second season at the helm of Tennessee, the only team to make the NCAA Tournament every year since it began in 1982. Defense and rebounding are two areas where the Lady Vols excel as they rank No. 3 in points allowed in the league (58.9) and rebound the ball really well as a team. Jacksonville native Rennia Davis is one of UT's top players averaging 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds and Rae Burrell, a junior from Las Vegas, leads the way at 16.6 points per game. Burrell shoots 44 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Last season the Gators fell 78-50 to the Lady Vols on Jan. 20, 2020. Going up against the long and strong Tennessee Lady Vols, who had an average height of six-foot-two, the scrappy Gators hung tough but couldn't match their firepower in the end. Lavender Briggs, finishing with 10 or more points for the 15th time, tallied 11 points and five rebounds. Florida scored the first six points of the game and led 6-2 early on but Tennessee quickly turned things in its favor with a 15-3 run to close the quarter.
 
The storied Tennessee Lady Vols program holds a 53-4 edge in the all-time series. UF is in search of just its third victory ever in Knoxville. The Gators last win at Thompson-Boling Arena came in 2016 when they upset No. 12 Tennessee 74-66 and their first victory on Rocky Top came on Feb. 26, 2006 when they shocked the Lady Vols, 95-93 in overtime. Then senior and Gainesville native Brittany Davis poured in a career-high 29 points in the thrilling upset. Davis is now a TV and radio analyst for the Gators and will be on the call alongside Florida's play-by-play voice, Kyle Crooks.
 
NOTABLES

• After trailing at the intermission in each of the last two games, Florida won the second half at Ole Miss and Thursday vs. Missouri. The Gators are outscoring opponents in the second half (604-541) on the season and their best quarter has been the third in particular, where they are +59.
• Smith played in attack mode Thursday against Missouri despite enduring a bit of an off-shooting performance. The senior attempted career highs in field goals (17) and free throws (11). UF is 6-3 when she takes at least 13 shots.
• UF's offense can ignite fast as it has scored 25 or more points in 10 quarters this season. Last season it only did this six times. UF scored 31 in the first quarter vs. UNF, the most it has scored in since 2018. In their SEC opener at No. 5 South Carolina, UF exploded for 29 points in the third quarter.
• Freshman Floor Toonders collected a career-best 13 rebounds against Missouri, including six on the offensive end. The 6-foot-5 Netherlands native has six or more rebounds in three of the last five games.
• Junior Kristina Moore blocked a career-high three shots vs. Missouri and tied her season best mark with five boards.
• After setting new season highs in three-point field goal percentage (.500 ) and free throw percentage (.842) at Ole Miss, the Gators posted season lows in those categories against Missouri with a .296 mark in field goals and a .480 figure from the charity stripe.
• NET ranking wise, Florida enters the game at No. 58 while Tennessee checks in at No. 14.
• The Gators are in search of their first victory over an AP Top 25 foe on the road since they pulled the upset at No. 13 Kentucky, 70-62, on Feb. 2, 2020.
• Following Sunday's contest, Florida's next scheduled game is set for Thursday, Feb. 11 at LSU. Florida was due to play Vanderbilt on Feb. 4 but the matchup was canceled.
• Sunday will be the Gators eighth nationally-televised game this season.

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