Thursday, November 24
St. Petersburg, Fla.
3 P.M.
Florida Gators
5-1,0-0SEC
61
vs
52
Green Bay
2-2,0-0Horizon
1
2
3
4
F
Green Bay
11
18
15
8
52
Florida
7
19
15
20
61
Correa paced all scorers with 20 points on Thanksgiving day. (Photo by Emma Bissell/UAA Communications)
Gators Down Phoenix in Defensive Battle on Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 24, 2022 | Women's Basketball
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. β Florida women's basketball put together an impressive defensive performance to help overcome a slow shooting night, defeating Green Bay at the St. Pete Showcase, 6Β Β Β 1-52.
Β
The Gators (5-1, 0-0 SEC) forced Green Bay (2-2, 0-0 Horizon) into 22 turnovers, resulting in 11 steals, helping them to an 18-9 advantage in points off of turnovers. KK Deans led the way with four steals for UF, while Leilani Correa added three.
Β
Correa was again the offensive spark, leading all scorers with 20 points off of the bench. Jordyn Merritt contributed 17, including a career-best eight made free throws, with Nina Rickards (11) and Faith Dut (10) each crossing the double-figures threshold. For the game, Florida shot 18-of-59 (30.5%) from the field and 6-of-23 (26.1%) from deep. The Phoenix ended 20-of-56 (35.7%) from the floor and 6-of-26 (23.1%) from three-point range.
Β
Green Bay did manage to control the glass on Thursday, outrebounding the Gators, 41-40. Merritt and Rickards each pulled-down seven to pace the Orange & Blue, while 17 of Florida's rebounds were on the offensive end.
Β
The Phoenix were led by Calle Genke with 10 points and six rebounds.
Β
A key reason for the Gators' victory in game one of the St. Pete Showcase was at the free throw line where UF ended 19-of-27 (70.4%) compared to just 6-of-6 from Green Bay.
Β
The Gators opened the game with the first four points behind a jumper from Rickards and two free throws by Dut, but the physicality of Green Bay began to push the Gators. The Phoenix put together an 11-0 run over the next 7:30 to claim an 11-4 lead, but Correa gave the Orange & Blue momentum off the bench right as the quarter ended, converting an and-one opportunity to make it 11-7 after one.
Β
Green Bay held Florida to just 2-of-16 shooting in the opening period.
Β
Florida came back in the second quarter to even the game at 15 with 6:41 on the clock after an impressive up-and-under layup from Rickards. The game was knotted again at 17, but another spurt from the Phoenix, this time 12-0, extended their lead to 29-17 with 3:44 left before halftime.
Β
The Gators didn't lay down, however, responding with a 9-0 run of their own, capped-off by a Dut tip-in layup at the buzzer to end the quarter and cut the Green Bay lead to 29-26 heading into halftime. Correa ended the half with 12 points for the Orange & Blue.
Β
It was a back-and-forth affair in the third quarter, with each team taking turns exchanging punches. Merritt tied the game at 29 within the first minute, but again the Phoenix responded with a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead. The Phoenix maintained a six-point lead with 5:50 to go before Correa knocked-down a triple, and Rickards followed-up with two free throws, to again cut the gap to one point. The opposing lead hovered at one point with under a minute left before a Green Bay layup gave them a 44-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Β
Clinging to a three-point lead with eight minutes left on the clock, Green Bay began to feel the pressure of the Florida zone. The Phoenix, with 6:31 on the clock, then left Dut wide-open in the corner off of an inbounds pass, and the senior drained her second triple of the game to give the Gators a 51-49 advantage.
Β
After finding the score once again tied at 52, the Gators secured the victory at the free throw line, ending the game on a 9-0 run with seven of those points coming at the charity stripe. After switching to zone in the second half, Florida held Green Bay to 9-of-25 (36%) shooting over the final 20 minutes.
Β
Up Next
The Gators will be back in action for game two of the St. Pete Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 26, against Houston at noon ET.
Β
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley
On fighting back from a slow startβ¦
"That game was really important for our growth as a team. That was a really well-coached team, Green Bay is consistently a tournament team. They're really hard to beat. It takes a lot of consistency, a lot of mental toughness, a lot of physical strength and balance, and to go 1-for-13 from three, I thought those were all good shots that we take. For being a neutral sight and performing as well as we did, showing the resiliency that we had, I'm really proud."
Β
Notables
- Florida now leads the all-time series with Green Bay, 3-0.
- Jordyn Merritt scored a season-high 17 points, helped by a career-best eight makes at the free throw line.
- Dut's two triples match a career-best from Texas A&M on Jan. 3, 2021
- Florida has now had four scorers in double-digits for six-straight games, with the last time that occurred dating back to before the 1998-99 campaign.
- The Gators have forced 20 or more turnovers in five of their first six games, the first time since 2015-16 they've started that well on the defensive end.
- The Gators are now 17-0 under Kelly Rae Finley when holding opponents to under 60 points.
Β
- #GoGators -
Β
Β
The Gators (5-1, 0-0 SEC) forced Green Bay (2-2, 0-0 Horizon) into 22 turnovers, resulting in 11 steals, helping them to an 18-9 advantage in points off of turnovers. KK Deans led the way with four steals for UF, while Leilani Correa added three.
Β
Correa was again the offensive spark, leading all scorers with 20 points off of the bench. Jordyn Merritt contributed 17, including a career-best eight made free throws, with Nina Rickards (11) and Faith Dut (10) each crossing the double-figures threshold. For the game, Florida shot 18-of-59 (30.5%) from the field and 6-of-23 (26.1%) from deep. The Phoenix ended 20-of-56 (35.7%) from the floor and 6-of-26 (23.1%) from three-point range.
Β
Green Bay did manage to control the glass on Thursday, outrebounding the Gators, 41-40. Merritt and Rickards each pulled-down seven to pace the Orange & Blue, while 17 of Florida's rebounds were on the offensive end.
Β
The Phoenix were led by Calle Genke with 10 points and six rebounds.
Β
A key reason for the Gators' victory in game one of the St. Pete Showcase was at the free throw line where UF ended 19-of-27 (70.4%) compared to just 6-of-6 from Green Bay.
Β
The Gators opened the game with the first four points behind a jumper from Rickards and two free throws by Dut, but the physicality of Green Bay began to push the Gators. The Phoenix put together an 11-0 run over the next 7:30 to claim an 11-4 lead, but Correa gave the Orange & Blue momentum off the bench right as the quarter ended, converting an and-one opportunity to make it 11-7 after one.
Β
Green Bay held Florida to just 2-of-16 shooting in the opening period.
Β
Florida came back in the second quarter to even the game at 15 with 6:41 on the clock after an impressive up-and-under layup from Rickards. The game was knotted again at 17, but another spurt from the Phoenix, this time 12-0, extended their lead to 29-17 with 3:44 left before halftime.
Β
The Gators didn't lay down, however, responding with a 9-0 run of their own, capped-off by a Dut tip-in layup at the buzzer to end the quarter and cut the Green Bay lead to 29-26 heading into halftime. Correa ended the half with 12 points for the Orange & Blue.
Β
It was a back-and-forth affair in the third quarter, with each team taking turns exchanging punches. Merritt tied the game at 29 within the first minute, but again the Phoenix responded with a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead. The Phoenix maintained a six-point lead with 5:50 to go before Correa knocked-down a triple, and Rickards followed-up with two free throws, to again cut the gap to one point. The opposing lead hovered at one point with under a minute left before a Green Bay layup gave them a 44-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Β
Clinging to a three-point lead with eight minutes left on the clock, Green Bay began to feel the pressure of the Florida zone. The Phoenix, with 6:31 on the clock, then left Dut wide-open in the corner off of an inbounds pass, and the senior drained her second triple of the game to give the Gators a 51-49 advantage.
Β
After finding the score once again tied at 52, the Gators secured the victory at the free throw line, ending the game on a 9-0 run with seven of those points coming at the charity stripe. After switching to zone in the second half, Florida held Green Bay to 9-of-25 (36%) shooting over the final 20 minutes.
Β
Up Next
The Gators will be back in action for game two of the St. Pete Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 26, against Houston at noon ET.
Β
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley
On fighting back from a slow startβ¦
"That game was really important for our growth as a team. That was a really well-coached team, Green Bay is consistently a tournament team. They're really hard to beat. It takes a lot of consistency, a lot of mental toughness, a lot of physical strength and balance, and to go 1-for-13 from three, I thought those were all good shots that we take. For being a neutral sight and performing as well as we did, showing the resiliency that we had, I'm really proud."
Β
Notables
- Florida now leads the all-time series with Green Bay, 3-0.
- Jordyn Merritt scored a season-high 17 points, helped by a career-best eight makes at the free throw line.
- Dut's two triples match a career-best from Texas A&M on Jan. 3, 2021
- Florida has now had four scorers in double-digits for six-straight games, with the last time that occurred dating back to before the 1998-99 campaign.
- The Gators have forced 20 or more turnovers in five of their first six games, the first time since 2015-16 they've started that well on the defensive end.
- The Gators are now 17-0 under Kelly Rae Finley when holding opponents to under 60 points.
Β
- #GoGators -
Β
Team Stats
GB
UF
FG%
.357
.305
3FG%
.231
.261
FT%
1.000
.704
RB
41
40
TO
22
14
STL
2
11
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
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