GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Playing in its third game of the week and taking on its final road challenge of the 2020-21 regular season, the University of Florida women's basketball team travels to Missouri Sunday, Feb. 21 for an afternoon matchup in Columbia, Mo. Tipoff between the Gators and Tigers is slated for 2 p.m. and will be televised live on the SEC Network.
| Date: |
Sunday, Feb. 21 |
| Time: |
2 p.m. ET |
| Matchup: |
Florida (10-10, 3-9) at Missouri (7-9, 3-8) |
| Location: |
Columbia, Mo. | Mizzou Arena |
| TV: |
SEC Network with Eric Frede and Christy Thomaskutty |
| Live Stats: |
Here |
| Radio: |
FloridaGators.com (Online Only) with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis |
| Game Notes: |
Florida |
Playing for the second-straight game without the services of star guard
Lavender Briggs who will miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury, Florida hung tough with the visiting Crimson Tide but fell 77-70 Thursday night. Florida trailed by as many as 17 in the third, but the Gators charged back to draw within six points twice in the fourth quarter. A pull-up jumper from Kiki Smith made the score 72-66 with 1:17 on the clock but the Gators could not break through. Smith was sensational again for UF as she matched her career-best with 27 points and cashed in four 3-pointers in a season-high 40 minutes of action. UF made eight 3-pointers, shot an impressive 14-of-17 from the line and dominated the rebounding battle, 43-29.
Smith is enjoying a breakout senior campaign and over her last eight games, she has even taken it up another notch. She's scored 20 or more points six times and collected four double-doubles during that span, averaging 21.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Twice, Smith put together games in which she led UF in points, rebounds, assists and steals in a single game. In league games, Smith is averaging 18.3 points per game, which is the sixth-best mark in the SEC. She is shooting .444 from the field in those contests.
Sunday marks the second meeting between the programs as they squared off just 24 days ago in Gainesville. In a back-and-forth battle, the Tigers walked out with a gritty 61-58 win. UF outscored Missouri in the second half and crept within a single possession on several occasions late in the game, but wasn't able to pull out the win as it saw its two-game winning streak come to a close. 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. UF limited Missouri, which entered the game shooting 55 percent from the field on the season, to just 33.3 percent shooting and outrebounded the Tigers, 54-47. Coach Newbauer missed this contest due to health and safety protocols.
Florida's last visit to Mizzou Arena was a memorable one as the Gators drilled 12 three-pointers and freshmen and sophomores combined for 54 points in a 75-67 victory, their first-ever in Columbia on Feb. 16, 2020.
The Tigers enter the contest with a 7-9 overall record which includes a 3-8 mark in SEC play. The Tigers share two common SEC wins with the Gators as they also knocked off Ole Miss and Auburn. Mizzou has dropped four of its last five games and is yet to win a conference game at home. The Tigers last took the court on Feb. 14, an 82-64 loss to Georgia, as their originally scheduled matchup at Texas A&M on Thursday was postponed due to icy weather in the area. Missouri, one of the SEC's most efficient offenses, leads the conference in field goal percentage at .488 and ranks No. 4 nationally. Missouri features a trio of double-figure scorers. 2019-20 All-SEC Freshman Team honoree Aijha Blackwell averages 14.5 points per game and collects a team-best 11.1 rebounds per contest. South Carolina transfer Ladazhia Williams leads the club with a 15.5 points per game average and Hayley Frank, also an SEC All-Freshman Team honoree a season ago, averages 12.3. Williams tallied 16 points and eight rebounds when the teams last met in Gainesville. Missouri, which has qualified for four-consecutive NCAA Tournaments, is under the direction of 11th-year head coach Robin Pingeton. Pingeton has over 150 wins at three different programs as she also led Illinois State and St. Ambrose. Mizzou was picked to finish 10th in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Mizzou owns a 9-2 edge in the all time series but the Gators have won two of the last four and many of the most recent renditions have been tight games. Six of the last seven matchups between the programs have been decided by eight or fewer points.
After its matchup at Missouri, Florida returns home to host its final regular season contest of the season on Sunday, Feb. 28 when it welcomes Georgia for Senior Day at the O'Connell Center. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and the contest will air nationally on ESPNU.
NOTABLES
- Florida enters the matchup with a No. 59 ranking in the NET while the Tigers enter at No. 44. The SEC features 11 squads ranked within the top 60.
- Thursday marked Florida's sixth loss by 10 or fewer points. Looking back at last season, Florida's average deficit in its losses was over 17 points while this year when it has lost it has been a spread on average of just over 10 points. A season ago UF suffered seven setbacks of 20 or more points, this year it has just one loss by more than 16 points.
- The Gators have outrebounded their opponent in five of their last seven games and hold an 8-3 record when winning the battle of the boards.
- After missing the first 10 games of the season recovery from a foot injury, Brynn Farrell has really come on strong for the Gators. The freshman has scored six or more points in all four of UF's last four games including last time out vs. Alabama when she added seven.
- The Gators have made eight or more three-pointers in six games this season and four of those performances have come in the last six contests.
- Missouri and Georgia are the only two SEC teams UF plays twice this season.
- Sunday will be the Gators' 11th nationally-televised contest.
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