FINAL: FLORIDA 69, JACKSONVILLE 59
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | FINAL | |
| JU | 10 | 11 | 14 | 24 | X | 59 |
| FLORIDA | 14 | 19 | 17 | 19 | X | 69 |
GAINESVILLE, FL- The Florida Gators came off a successful trip to Savannah, Georgia by defeating the Jacksonville Dolphins 69-59 on Tuesday in the friendly confines at Exactech Arena.
Florida, which entered the game averaging more than 11 three-point makes per game, played a much more inside-out game then their previous games. Florida attempted a season low 18 three-pointers, making only six. However, Florida made 51% of their shots inside the arc, led by senior forward Haley Lorenzen. Lorenzen finished the game with 20 points and 11 rebounds. This was the third double-double for Lorenzen this season and seventh of her career. After the game, Lorenzen complimented her teammates when asked about her performance, “All the credit goes to my teammates, I don’t get the ball without them.”
The Gators held Jacksonville to only 37% shooting and allowed the Dolphins to only connect on four of seventeen attempts from deep. Florida also outrebounded JU by 12, rebounding has been a key emphasis by head coach Cameron Newbauer this year.
Florida established an eighteen point lead by the middle of the third quarter before Jacksonville fought back. The Dolphins closed the gap by forcing Florida into turnovers. Florida committed four turnovers in the final four minutes of the third quarter and gave the ball away seven times in the fourth quarter.
“They are a tough, gritty team. We had to finish strong. We had some mishaps, but overall it was a good win,” Newbauer stated after the game.
In addition to Lorenzen, Florida had two others in double figures scoring; Dyandria Anderson (16), and Delicia Washington (12). Newbauer complimented the play of Washington as she rounded out her stats with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Florida’s leading scorer, Funda Nakkasoglu returned to action after missing two games and finished with six points on 2-11 shooting. Newbauer said that Nakkasoglu was not at 100%, but that he “liked how she kept going, and kept helping others get good shots.”
Jacksonville was led by Brandi Buie who scored 25 points. JU forward Kayla Gordon finished with seven points, but a game high 13 rebounds.
Florida will play on Sunday at Oklahoma.
TEAM STATS:
| JU | FLORIDA | |
| FG % | 37 | 46 |
| 3-PT % | 24 | 33 |
| FT % | 90 | 50 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 14 | 18 |
| Total Rebounds | 33 | 45 |
| Assists | 6 | 14 |
| Steals | 6 | 5 |
| Blocks | 2 | 2 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 17 |
WHAT’S NEXT:
Florida travels to Oklahoma to face the Sooners on Sunday at 3:00 PM in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Oklahoma is 3-3 so far this season. The Sooners fell to Little Rock on Tuesday by a 68-56 margin. Oklahoma was led by senior guard Gabbi Ortiz who scored 15 points in 37 minutes of action.
Florida vs Oklahoma
December 3, 2017
7:00 PM / Lloyd Noble Center
Fox Sports Sun