FINAL: FLORIDA 62, FLORIDA A&M 38
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | FINAL | |
| FAMU | 9 | 14 | 2 | 13 | X | 38 |
| GATORS | 19 | 8 | 21 | 14 | X | 62 |
Gainesville, FL-
The Florida women’s basketball team is on a three game winning streak after defeating Florida A&M 62-38 on Sunday to improve to 3-6 on the season.
Game Trends
Florida’s leading scorer Funda Nakkasoglu is still day-to-day due to an ankle injury and sat out the entirety of this game. Paige Robinson also sat out due to illness, according to head coach Cameron Newbauer. Despite missing two key starters, the Rattlers were no match for the Gators.
The Gators dominated the Rattlers 19-9 in the opening quarter before falling apart in the second quarter, allowing FAMU to shrink Florida’s lead to 27-23. Florida shot 25% in the second period and went 1-15 from 3-point range.
Clearly, Florida regrouped during the halftime break, as the Gators only allowed the Rattlers to shoot only 1-12 in the third period to extend the lead heading into the fourth quarter. Florida allowed FAMU to score 13 points in the final quarter, but scored 14 points to end at a final of 62-38.
Ariel Johnson was the three-point star for the Gators, making 4-9 for the game while Corey Staples was the only other Gator to make a three-pointer despite the team’s ‘chuck it from the cheap seats’ mentality. For the game UF made five of their 28 attempts from deep. The Rattlers shot only 14-48, including 2-11 from three-point range.
Fast Facts
- Redshirt-junior forward Zada Williams scored a career high 16 points to lead the Gators. Williams also grabbed nine boards, including four on the offensive glass.
- Junior Delicia Washington finished with 11 points and 10 boards for her second straight double-double. Washington leads the Gators averaging 8.6 boards per game.
- Freshman Ariel Johnson finished with 13 points and has become a major contributor off the bench for the team. Johnson has now made a three in five consecutive games.
- Florida grabbed 44 rebounds, marking the third consecutive game with 40+.
- Florida held the lead for 37:36, while FAMU never pulled ahead of the Gators. The game was only tied for 02:14.
- Leading scorer Funda Nakkasoglu sat out with an ankle injury and is listed as day-to-day. Paige Robinson also sat out due to illness, according to head coach Cameron Newbauer.
- Florida wore their orange uniforms for the third consecutive game, they are now 3-0 in these uniforms. Coach Newbauer stated after the game that the team will continue to wear whatever uniform the players feel like wearing and that he won’t give in to superstition in regards to the uniform combination.
TEAM STATS:
| FLORIDA A&M | GATORS | |
| FG % | 29 | 40 |
| 3-PT % | 18 | 18 |
| FT % | 73 | 58 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 9 | 18 |
| Total Rebounds | 30 | 44 |
| Assists | 3 | 13 |
| Steals | 10 | 11 |
| Blocks | 2 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 24 | 17 |
What’s Next
The Gators will have a few days off to take finals before making the trip to Columbus, Ohio to face Ohio State on December 16th. The Buckeyes are 3-3 on the season and are 3-1 when playing at home.
The matchup against the Buckeyes kicks off the first of three consecutive away games for the Gators. The next home game will be December 30th at 2 p.m. against Charleston Southern.