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Gainesville, FL – Florida trailed Alabama by as many as 21 points in the first half (46-25), before pulling off a double-overtime thriller on Saturday.
After getting to within six multiple times in the second half, Alabama answered with a flurry virtually every time, until the end of regulation.
Trailing 81-75 with :43 remaining in the second half, Florida finished regulation on a 8-2 run thanks to a Noah Locke steal and finish and a Kerry Blackshear clutch three.
In the first overtime period, Andrew Nembhard made a layup with :39 left to give Florida a 92-89 lead. Alabama’s John Petty, Jr. hit a three to tie the game and send it to a second overtime.
Tied at 98 with 1:12 to play, Florida went 6-6 from the free throw line to clinch the victory. Scottie Lewis, Nembhard, and Blackshear each knocked down a pair to close out the contest.
Blackshear (24 & 16), Lewis (17 & 10), and Keyontae Johnson (10 & 12) all finished with double-doubles as Florida mounted a comeback that equaled the program record at home.
Andrew Nembhard added 25 points and 5 assists while Locke finished with 18 points on 6-9 from the field.
Fast Stats:
FG% : 43
3FG% : 35
FT% : 83
Reb +/- : +6
Assists : 11
TO : 13
Bench Points : 23
What’s Next:
The Gators (9-5) will head to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks on Tuesday. USC is 8-5 on the season and defeated No. 9 Virginia 70-59 before dropping their last contest to Stetson 63-56 last week.
Xzavier Henderson announced his commitment to the Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon during the Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. The four-star recruit out of Columbus High School in Miami recorded a 4.55 forty yard dash at The Opening Regional in May.
His explosive first step has garnered much attention from some of the biggest programs in college football. Florida beat out Clemson and Georgia for the 6’3.5″ 180-pound wide receiver. Henderson received more than twenty offers in total.
Currently, Henderson is considered the 59th ranked recruit in the class of 2020, boasting a 247Sports composite rating of 0.9714. Henderson is the younger brother of Gators cornerback CJ Henderson, who recently announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft.
In the last decade, Florida’s softball team has made some serious noise on the diamond. They turned the decade with a trip to the WCWS, though they quickly lost to the soon-to-be champions in the UCLA Bruins. The Gators posted a four year streak in which they headed to the World Series from 2008-2011.
And while in those years Florida fell short of a National Championship, it didn’t take long for Florida to rebound and finally get the ring they were chasing all those years.
In 2014 and 2015, the Gators won back-to-back softball National Championships. And since then, they’ve continued to find considerable success in picking up a handful of SEC Championships and deep runs in the WCWS.
In short, it’s been quite the decade for Florida’s softball team – perhaps its best ever. With two National Championships, eight WCWS appearances and perfect attendance at the NCAA Tournament in the last ten years, when you take a look at some of the players that have worn the orange and blue in the last 10 years, its no wonder the success that they’ve had.
There’s very little surprise here. Florida consistently produces some of the best pitchers to play the game – it’s almost like the (typical) excellence at quarterback in Gainesville, Florida softball has high expectations when it comes to who’s in the circle. And in the last 10 years, they’ve had some good ones.
Lauren Haeger – 2012-2015 / 2015 National Collegiate Player of the Year / 2015 SEC Female Athlete of the Year
While there has been no shortage of great pitchers in the orange and blue, Haeger is by far the best two-way pitcher. Haeger’s pitching stats don’t necessarily jump out at you – she doesn’t have the best ERA or the most strikeouts, but her pitching stats are still good enough to get the job done. Haeger mustered 531 strikeouts in her time at Florida and has 23 shutouts under her belt. But what she did offensively is what makes her so special. In fact, Haeger is the only athlete in men’s and women’s sports to share a stat with Babe Ruth – like Ruth, Haeger has also reached the 70-70 plateau… 70 career wins and 70 homeruns. At bat, Haeger has the eighth best on base percentage (.458) and the most homeruns in Florida history with 71.
Kelly Barnhill – 2016-2019 / 2019 No. 1 Overall NPF Draft Pick / 2017 ESPNw Female Player of the Year
Kelly Barnhill was certainly more one dimensional than Haeger was, but when it comes to a pitcher being solely a pitcher, Barnhill certainly is one of, if not the best to ever do it in the orange and blue. In Gainesville, Barnhill stands as the queen of strikeouts with a UF record 1,208 of them. She also leads the Gators in opponents batting average (.134), strikeouts looking (328) and strikeouts per seven innings (10.53). At a larger scale, Barnhill leads the NCAA ranks in shutouts with 44 and games started with 137.
Hannah Rogers – 2011-2014 / 4x All-American / 2014 SEC Female Athlete of the Year
Rogers time in Gainesville unfortunately became a bit overshadowed as Tim Walton continued to rake talent into Gainesville’s pitching circle. Though, the Lake Wales, Fla. Native was still incredibly talented and efficient from the circle. Helping build the Gators to their National Championship in 2014, Rogers records the most saves in UF history with five, as well as the seventh best ERA with 1.23. Rogers also held opponents’ batting average to just .186, which also gets her a seventh place spot in UF ranks.
First Base
Kayli Kvistad – 2015-2018 / 2x All-American / 2017 All-SEC First Team
With an on-base percentage .492, Kvistad comes in second in the UF ranks in that category. She also leads the pack in walks with 186 in her career in addition to 193 RBIs – giving her a fifth place finish in the UF ranks for RBIs. While Kvistad was talented at the plate, she also boasts a .991 fielding percentage – the tenth best in UF history. Photo by Shane Bevel / Getty Images
Second Base
Kelsey Stewart – 2013-2016 / 2x All-American / 2015 SEC Player of the Year
During her time at UF, Stewart proved to be an offensive powerhouse. She holds the most hits (102), triples (11) and stolen bases (36) in a single season in Florida softball history. She also holds the second best career batting average at UF with a .391. Her stolen base percentage sits sixth in the UF history books at .911. She is also first in most career hits with 357.
Shortstop
Megan Bush – 2008-2011 / All-American / 2010 All-SEC First Team
Bush holds the third most career starts at Florida with 267. While her batting average doesn’t eclipse the top-10 at Florida, she certainly made the most of her at-bats. Holding the second most career homeruns, in her time at Florida, Bush blasted 65 pitches over the fence. She also ranks ninth overall in career hits with 225.
Third Base
Stephanie Tofft – 2013-2014 / 2014 SEC-All Defensive Team / 2013 SEC All-Tournament Team
As a transfer from Northern Illinois, Tofft came into Gainesville with a number of recognitions already under her belt. In 2011, she was the MAC Freshman of the Year, and her success only grew once she slipped into the orange and blue. As a Gator, Tofft ranks fifth in batting average with a .344 and seventh in on base percentage with a .466.
Catcher
Aubree Munro – 2013-2016 / 2016 SEC All-Defensive Team / 2015 WCWS All-Tournament Team
In terms of perfection, Aubree Munro is about as close as you can come. In her junior season, Munro was perfect behind the plate fielding all 354 chances that came her way. In two years, she committed just one error through the 2015 and 2016 seasons despite 874 chances. Munro’s defensive excellence really showed in her senior season when she threw out two Ole Miss players trying to steal and picked another off – all before the third inning of game one of the series. The Rebels, who led the SEC in stolen bases with 106 stolen bases on the year, didn’t try for another stolen base for the rest of the series.
Outfielders
Amanda Lorenz – 2016-2018 / 4x All-American / 2018 SEC Player of the Year
Perhaps one of the most successful Gators in Florida softball history, Amanda Lorenz comes in topping a number of lists in Gainesville. Lorenz’s .407 batting average leads Gator softball history, as does her .549 on base percentage. Her 301 hits (2nd), 59 doubles (T-1st), 12 triples (T-3rd), 41 homeruns (6th) and 196 RBIs (4th) all account for her power at the plate. But in the field, Lorenz was equally as impressive with a .995 fielding percentage. Lorenz was hot on the heels of her teammate Kelly Barnhill in the 2019 NPF Draft as she was taken with the No. 2 overall pick – Barnhill went first.
Michelle Moultrie – 2009-2012 / 2012 SEC Player of the Year / 2011 WCWS Co-Most Outstanding Player
Another solid hitter for the Gators, Moultrie holds the third best batting average in Gator softball history with a .385. The quick centerfielder also has stolen 83 bases in her time at Florida – giving her the second most in Florida history. Moultrie’s 204 runs scored is also the fifth best in Florida softball history. Photo by Shane Bevel / Getty Images
Even though Enea only spent one season playing in the last decade, her statistics fit in with some of the best to ever play in the orange and blue. In her final season alone, Enea blasted 20 homeruns – the third most homeruns in a single season at UF. Her 70 RBIs also takes a top-four spot in a single season – a feat she completed in 2009. Enea also had a clutch factor to her as she had three homeruns in the World Series.
Just four days after defeating Virginia in the Orange Bowl, the Florida Gators are already making significant offseason acquisitions.
A five-star running back from the class of 2018, Lorenzo Lingard announced his transfer from Miami to Florida today.
Lingard hails from University High School in Orange City, Florida, and was the No. 2 running back in his class according to 247Sports.com. He was an early enrollee for the Hurricanes in 2018 and played in six games that year before suffering a season-ending leg injury. Lingard played in two games in 2019, appearing primarily on special teams.
“I am truly blessed to be a Gator,” Lingard said in a post to his Twitter. “I am ready to do whatever it takes to become the best gator as a team player and student athlete.”
Gainesville product Noah Keeter also announced his transfer to Florida today. Keeter, a three-star outside linebacker from Buchholz High School, will come to UF as a redshirt freshman, as he didn’t see game action in 2019.
“I’m coming home!”, Noah posted to his Twitter account.
The transfers of Lingard and Keeter replenish positions of need for the Gators, as they lose running back Lamical Perine and edge rushers Jabari Zuniga and Jonathan Greenard to the NFL Draft.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer for Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
Wednesday marks the beginning of a new decade, which allows us the opportunity to look back at the best athletes to don the Orange and Blue.
In this series, we will name the All-Decade team for each of the programs we cover.
Today: The University of Florida Men’s Basketball All-Decade Team
Florida entered the decade after two seasons that failed to see the team qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but it didn’t take long for the rebuild to make the Gators title contenders.
The 2012 and 2013 teams reached the Elite Eight and the 2014 team earned a berth into the Final Four.
2015 saw the program suffer it’s first losing season since 1998 and legendary head coach Billy Donovan left for the NBA following the season.
On May 17, Florida introduced Mike White as the new head coach and he would lead Florida to the NCAA Tournament in three of his first four seasons at the helm, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2017.
The following are our selections for the Florida Men’s Basketball All-Decade team.
__________
Point Guard: Erving Walker (2008-12)
Stats: 12.3 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.6 RPG
A 5’8 guard, Walker ranks fifth in program history in points scored (1,777) and second in assists (547).
The Brooklyn, NY native was named to the All-SEC Second Team 2010, 2011, 2012.
Also considered: Chris Chiozza, Scottie Wilbekin
Shooting Guard: Kenny Boynton (2009-13)
Stats: 14.0 PPG, 2.7 APG, 2.4 RPG
Florida’s second leading scorer of all-time (2,033 points) and leader in three-pointers (333) is Pompano Beach native Kenny Boynton.
Boynton was nominated to the SEC All-Freshman team after averaging 14 points in 2009-10. He also earned First Team All-SEC recognition in 2012 and Second Team honors in 2011 and 2013.
Also considered: Bradley Beal, KeVaughn Allen
Small Forward: Dorian Finney-Smith (2011-16)
Stats: 10.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.9 APG
Dorian Finney-Smith arrived in Gainesville after spending his freshman season at Virginia Tech.
His biggest contributions came as a redshirt junior and senior when he averaged 13.1 and 14.7 points as well as 6.2 and 8.3 rebounds.
Finney-Smith was the first transfer player at UF to score 1,000 points.
Also considered: Casey Prather, Devin Robinson
Power Forward: Chandler Parsons (2007-11)
Stats: 10.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.4 APG
Chandler Parsons, a 6’10 forward from Casselberry, FL, made an immediate impact on the program as he averaged 8.1 points and 4 rebounds per game, despite not starting a single game as a freshman.
Parsons was a prototypical stretch-4, with the ability to hit the clutch shots and grab the important rebounds at the end of a game.
As a senior, Parsons became the first Gator to knock down two true buzzer beaters (including a 75-foot winner against NC State). He also earned the program’s first SEC Player of the Year honor.
Also considered: Erik Murphy, Kerry Blackshear, Jr
Center: Patric Young (2010-14)
Career Stats: 8.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.1 BPG
The five has been an issue for much of the latter half of the decade, but for the first the first four years, Patric Young dominated the paint for Florida.
Despite being undersized at 6’9, Young earned accolades such as: SEC All-Freshman, Two time All-SEC Defense, 2014 All-SEC and 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
As a senior, the Jacksonville native averaged a career high 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Young was also consistent as he shot over 54% from the floor every year of his collegiate career.
Also considered: Kevarrius Hayes, John Egbunu
__________
Did we miss anyone, is there anybody that deserves to be on this list as well?
Tell us what you think in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.
The final week of the regular season proved very eventful for former Florida Gators around the NFL. And perhaps the most critical play came from a special teams player.
Eddy Pineiro (kicker, Chicago Bears) converted all four of his field goal attempts on Sunday, including a 22-yarder with 10 seconds left, to help the Bears to a 21-19 victory at the Minnesota Vikings. Pineiro’s 26 and 33-yard field goals were the game’s only points in the first quarter. He also made a 34-yard kick in the second and converted an extra point in the third.
After mid-season struggles, Pineiro is making a case for a return in Chicago. He made his last 11 field goals, with his last miss occuring in Week 11 at the Los Angeles Rams.
Defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap (defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals) and Taven Bryan (defensive tackle, Jacksonville Jaguars) each had whales of games in their own respects.
Dunlap had five tackles (four solo), but he was a mainstay in the Cleveland Browns’ backfield. He sacked Baker Mayfield 2.5 times (including a sack-fumble), had two additional tackles for loss and deflected a pass in the Bengals’ 33-23 win.
Meanwhile in Jacksonville, Bryan had easily the best game of his career in a 38-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He had four tackles (three solo), including a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a pass defended. The pass defended and forced fumble were both the first of his career.
Jacoby Brissett (quarterback, Indianapolis Colts) did not fair well against Bryan and the Jacksonville defense. He had possibly his worst performance of the year, completing just 12 of 25 passes for 162 yards (no touchdowns or interceptions). He also had more sack yardage (19) then rushing yards (17).
Demarcus Robinson (wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs) had the best day of any former Florida offensive players. He only caught one pass in a 31-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but it was a significant one. Robinson hauled a 24-yard strike from Patrick Mahomes for his first touchdown since Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Speaking of the Ravens, Joe Haden (corner, Pittsburgh Steelers) played well despite suffering a 28-10 loss in Baltimore. He had three tackles (all solo), an interception and a fumble recovery.
Haden finished with five interceptions in 2019, the most since his rookie season in 2010 (six).
Former-Giant Janoris Jenkins (corner, New Orleans Saints) also had a decent day in the defensive backfield. Jenkins secured his first interception as a Saint in addition to five tackles (all solo). He also defended another pass in the 42-10 trouncing of the Carolina Panthers.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer for Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
The Florida Gators have a lot to celebrate this New Year’s Eve.
Dan Mullen’s champagne wishes of an 11-2 record came true at the Orange Bowl with a 36-28 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers.
The Gators didn’t cover the 14.5-point spread, but they performed well in all phases of play. And credit must be given to Virginia, who rose to the occasion behind the arm of quarterback Bryce Perkins.
Offense: A-
The Orange Bowl victory was perhaps Florida’s most complete offensive performance of the season. UF’s 244 rushing yards were its highest total of 2019, and it went along with 305 passing yards by quarterback Kyle Trask.
Running back Lamical Perine electrified Hard Rock Stadium on the third play from scrimmage. He scampered 61 yards — picking up a key sealing block from pulling guard Brett Heggie — and avoided a lunging defender to give the Gators the early lead.
Perine compiled 181 total yards (138 rushing on 13 carries, 43 receiving on five receptions) and added three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) to fuel the Florida offense.
Trask was UF’s second leading rusher (eight carries, 37 yards, touchdown), but his ability to spread the ball to nine different receivers reciprocated his production since stepping in against Kentucky on Sept. 14.
However, the success of Perine and Trask cannot be mentioned without acknowledging the efforts of the offensive line.
Offensive line coach John Hevesy used the bowl preparation period well, and it showed with the way his unit played. It allowed only one sack and two quarterback hurries while getting consistent push on 34 rushing attempts.
The only blunders by Florida came on a combined three drives. One of Trask’s hurried passes was intercepted on UF’s second offensive drive. He lobbed it just in front of intended target Freddie Swain, and corner Nick Grant made an impressive diving interception.
The Gators also started slowly in the second half, punting on their first two drives of the frame. A sack followed by a tackle for loss stifled the first UF possession of the third quarter, and a dropped pass by Tyrie Cleveland led to a three-and-out.
However, Cleveland redeemed himself with a big 30-yard reception in the fourth quarter, as the Gators executed much more than they floundered.
Defense: B+
The Gators allowed two early touchdowns and a pair of fourth-quarter scores, but they played inspired football between those possessions.
UF forced five consecutive punts between the second and third quarter, allowing their offense to build a 13-point lead in the process.
The defense drew a three-and-out on its opening drive, as a tackle by Reese on third-and-1 stuffed Perkins short of the marker.
The two touchdowns that followed were both fantastic throws by Perkins. The first was a 34-yard pass to Terrell Jana following the Trask interception, and then Perkins escaped a near-certain sack, rolled to his right and fired a perfect throw to the back of the painted area, where he found Hasise Dubois for his second touchdown.
However, the defense got back on track with a sack to force a three-and-out on the next drive, and the offense responded with a touchdown, as Florida led for the remainder of the game.
UF totaled three sacks and five tackles for loss, but it was an interception by Kaiir Elam in the fourth quarter that proved most critical. Perkins threw a jump ball intended for Dubois, but Elam was in perfect position to make a play on the football.
UVA came back to score thanks to Perkins’ fourth touchdown of the game, but the score came with just 38 seconds remaining and was too little too late.
Special Teams: A
Evan McPherson was undoubtedly a major reason why Florida won the Orange Bowl.
His three field goals were literally the difference in the eight-point Florida win.
McPherson’s first attempt was a chip-shot (23 yards in the second quarter), but his 49-yarder late in the third and 42-yard conversion following the Elam interception were extremely clutch kicks.
McPherson also did a great job taking away UVA’s Joe Reed in the kick-return game. Reed entered the contest leading the nation in kickoff return average (34.73 yards per attempt), but McPherson’s six touchbacks mitigated Reed’s chances.
However, when Reed took the ball out twice, he didn’t get much. The kick coverage by Florida limited him to just a 12-yard return and a 20-yard return.
Lastly, Freddie Swain made one of the most important plays by recovering the onside kick to end the contest.
Coaching: A
It’s second-and-8 from the UF 48 with just over two minutes in the third quarter.
Kyle Trask is alone in the backfield, and UVA’s only linebacker in the box is obviously playing coverage. Mullen and Trask see this, so the quarterback takes off for an easy 16-yard gain.
This is great recognition by Trask, but better play-calling by Mullen to set up this situation.
Emory Jones has entered the game twice by this point, and each time he ran the ball (four carries, 32 yards).
Because of this, Virginia saw Jones as the lone quarterback rushing threat, opening up opportunities for an underrated runner in Trask.
It was play-calling like this that won the game for Florida. Mullen utilized the skillset and moxy of his quarterbacks, and it paid off in critical situations.
The Gators converted two fourth downs, both ballsy calls on Mullen’s part.
On fourth-and-8 in the second quarter, Mullen trusted the arm of Trask rather than attempting a long field goal. Trask stood tall in the pocket and made a perfect throw to Freddie Swain despite being hit.
Then on fourth-and-1 in UF territory in the fourth quarter, Mullen trusted his quarterback again. This time Trask handled the ball on an option going to his unfavorable side, and he made a two-handed toss (resembling a chest pass) to Perine, who picked up the necessary yardage.
You’ve got to hand it to Mullen. Statistically, he shouldn’t have gone for either of those. However, he trusted his players to execute against the odds, which is more than most coaches would ever do in the Orange Bowl.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer to Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
Miami Gardens, FL – The Gators got a little more than what was advertised when they took the field on Monday night to face the Virginia Cavaliers in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Florida entered the game as a 15.5-point favorite and left the game with a 36-28 victory. Although many fans have voiced their displeasure at the outcome of the game, I think that is a direct result of the success that Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators have had over the last two seasons.
Two years ago, the fan base would have sold their firstborn children to have an offense that was capable of putting up 36 points in a game. They might have sold their second-born if they knew they could reach 549 yards of offense while playing in a New Year’s Six bowl game. The thing that seems to be getting brushed over by many of the Gator faithful is that Dan Mullen has this team moving rapidly toward being a member of the college football elite, once again.
In two year’s time, the Gators have gone from a 4-7 team to a team that has earned back-to-back NY6 Championships and a 21-5 record over that same time span. A ten win team became an eleven win team that is once again seated firmly in the top 10 to finish the season. More than this, the Gators find themselves in the top 10 in recruiting for the second year in a row. So what’s the point? Not every game is going to be a blowout. Sometimes, you get the very best your opponent has to offer but the Gators are now winning these games regularly. There has been vast improvement both in culture and in the on-field product since Dan Mullen has arrived.
Furthermore, I believe that we can become victims of our own expectations. Most people thought that Florida was going to come out slinging the ball around the yard and bludgeoning Virginia to death. Instead, what we got was a balanced Florida offense that produced 305 yards through the air and 244 yards on the ground. Although Kyle Trask appeared a little out of sorts, Lamical Perine put on full display, why he is one of the best running backs in the country and the offensive line grew up just a little bit.
Many will point to the “soft” coverage and claim that it is defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham’s fault that Virginia was able to remain in the contest. However, it was that coverage that made Virginia signal-caller, Bryce Perkins one dimensional. The leading rusher for the Wahoos managed a paltry 24 yards on 14 carries. Although he passed for 323 yards and four touchdowns, much of that production came in the form of 50/50 balls that the Cavaliers’ big receivers were able to bring down, often in circus fashion.
Even in the midst of the soft coverage, Florida made a living in the backfield. The Gators’ defensive front finished the game with three sacks and five tackles for loss. If not for the extreme athleticism of Bryce Perkins, this game would have been a blowout. He spent the entire night running for his life and extending plays, often making poor decisions that just happened to work out for the Cavaliers.
Now that this game is in the books, we begin the long wait until next season. Florida remains in contention for several high-value targets both on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal. All of which will factor heavily into the future. Under Dan Mullen’s direction, they will look to build on what this year’s team has begun. So as we say goodbye to the 2019 football season and the departing Gators, we can look to the future with the hopeful anticipation of things to come.
Redshirt junior center Gorjok Gak has decided to leave the Gators basketball team after a multi-year struggle with injuries. Gak played as a freshman before missing the entire second year of his career to a knee surgery just before the season started.
This year, Gak has struggled with a dislocated shoulder and has appeared in only 2 games, totaling 11 minutes of play and grabbing 3 rebounds.
The 6 foot 11 inch junior, who was the #289 player and #29 center in the 2016 recruiting class per 247 sports will graduate early this spring and look to be a graduate transfer next year. Over his career, he averaged 2.0 points and 2.1 rebounds for the Gators.
Gak will complete the semester before looking at his options as a graduate transfer.
Gainesville, FL – The Florida women’s basketball team has struggled all season at the free throw stripe. The Gators entered Sunday’s contest making just 55% of their attempts from the charity stripe. Much of Sunday was a struggle as well. Florida entered the final period having made just five of 14 attempts.
The Gators, though, hit when it mattered. With 1:25 left in the game Davidson’s Sarah Konstans knocked down a trey to get the Wildcats within one at 51-50. Over the final :28 of the game, Florida knocked down 4-6 from the line including two from Kristina Moore with :05 on clock that sealed the win.
Much of the game was played sloppy with missed shots interrupting the rhythm and flow of the game. It took more than four minutes for either team to score before Kiara Smith made the layup.
Despite the offensive struggles, the Gators led or were tied all but :22 in the game, including the intial 4:14 of scoreless basketball.
The Gators finished the first quarter with a 14-11 lead thanks to nine points from Smith.
Both teams struggled in the second quarter. Florida made just 4-15 from the floor while the Wildcats shot just 21%. The Gators took a 25-19 advantage into the intermission.
Florida opened the third quarter hot and built their lead to as much as nine at 38-29, but Davidson answered with a 7-0 run to close the gap to two before the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter opened with a pair of jumpers by Lavender Briggs that stretched the Florida lead to six. A 7-2 Wildcats run tied the game up at 47 before a layup by Moore.
Florida improves to 9-4 on the season with the win, already improving from last season’s eight wins.
Team Stats:
FG% : 34
3FG% : 32
FT% : 45
Reb +/- : -2
Assists : 5
TO : 14
Bench Points : 16
Individual Stats:
Ariel Johnson : 16 points, 3-7 3FG
Kiki Smith : 14 points, 6-12 FG, 4 steals
Lavender Briggs : 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
Zada Williams : 3 points, 15 rebounds
What’s Next:
Florida opens SEC play this week with an away date at Mississippi State on Thursday. The game is set for an 8:10 PM tip-off and can be streamed on SEC Network +.
The Bulldogs are 12-2 on the season and are ranked No. 15 in the nation.
Photo by Shane Bevel / Getty Images
Photo by Shane Bevel / Getty Images
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