FINAL: FLORIDA 85, DELAWARE STATE 51
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | FINAL | |
| DSU | 10 | 9 | 21 | 11 | X | 51 |
| FLORIDA | 22 | 28 | 19 | 16 | X | 85 |
GAINESVILLE, FL- The Florida Gators are heading into SEC play winners of their last two games after defeating the Delaware State Hornets on Wednesday 85-51. Florida finished the non-conference schedule with an 8-5 record and will begin SEC play at Auburn on Sunday.
Florida was the better team in almost all aspects of the game. The Gators outrebounded Delaware State by a 68-35 margin and held the Hornets to a 25.6% shooting clip including only 5-29 from behind the three-point line.
In the second quarter, senior forward Haley Lorenzen, made a three-pointer to become the twenty-fifth player in Florida women’s basketball history to score 1,000 career points. Lorenzen finished with her seventh double-double of the season (18 points to go along with 12 rebounds). After the game, Lorenzen told the media about scoring her one thousandth point, “it’s quite an honor. I wouldn’t have gotten here without all my teammates and coaches.”
“We took care of business today,” said Florida head coach Cameron Newbauer said of the win. However, “We have got to get better, and have got to get tougher” with SEC play coming up.
Paulina Hersler added 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Funda Nakkasoglu also scored 14 points and added 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Dyandria Anderson also finished in double-figures with 11 points. Sydney Searcy contributed 11 points while shooting 3-4 from behind the arc. Searcy missed the Gator Holiday Classic while out with a concussion.
The Hornets were led by Ryan Jones who finished with 13 points. Keke Barber added 11 points and 6 boards for Delaware State.
Florida turned the ball over 21 times, which Delaware State turned into 16 points. The Gators only forced eight turnovers by the Hornets.
Florida moves to 8-5 on the season, and will begin their SEC slate with a game at Auburn on Sunday.
TEAM STATS:
| DSU | FLORIDA | |
| FG % | 26 | 44 |
| 3-PT % | 17 | 35 |
| FT % | 55 | 58 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 11 | 19 |
| Total Rebounds | 35 | 68 |
| Assists | 5 | 17 |
| Steals | 12 | 3 |
| Blocks | 0 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 8 | 21 |
WHAT’S NEXT:
Florida will take on Auburn in Alabama on Sunday. The Tigers are 8-3 entering their game against Xavier (LA) on Thursday. On December 19, Auburn topped SE Louisiana 80-46. The Tigers’ losses have come to Northwestern, Chattanooga, and Virginia Tech.
Florida at Auburn
December 31, 2017
4:00 PM / Exactech Arena
ESPN2