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  • MBB: Gators drop SEC / Big XII Challenge to TCU; fall to 11-8 overall

    MBB: Gators drop SEC / Big XII Challenge to TCU; fall to 11-8 overall

    Photo by Rich Von Bilberstein / Getty Images

    FINAL: TEXAS A&M 72, FLORIDA 81

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    FLORIDA 20 30 X 50
    TCU 32 23 X 55

    Fort Worth, TX – The Gators have fallen to 11-8 on the season after dropping an important contest to TCU in the SEC / Big XII Challenge 55-50.

    Florida entered the contest with an opportunity to help their NCAA tournament resume, but let yet another game slip away.

    The Gators still have a number of games against the elite teams of the SEC, but time is certainly dwindling on the season and Florida will need to turn things around if they hope to play in the tournament.

    Game Trends:

    The Gators got off to the worst start possible. TCU had a commanding 18-3 lead with 9:28 to play in the opening half. You read that right, the Gators managed just one basket in more than ten minute of play to open the game. They missed their first seven attempts from the field before Deaundrae Ballard hit an open three with almost six minutes gone in the game.

    Even as the Gators began to find the basket, the scoring margin stayed above double-digits. Florida trailed by 16 until KeVaughn Allen hit a driving layup with 1:05 to play. Kevarrius Hayes would add a layup before half to cut the deficit to 32-20.

    While head coach Mike White has taken quite a bit of heat on social media, whatever he said to his guys at halftime worked.

    Florida opened with a 14-2 run to tie the game less than eight minutes into the second half. The Gators and Horned Frogs then basically traded baskets for much of the game. With 4:25 left in regulation, Kouat Noi knocked down a three to extend TCU’s lead to seven, but KeVaughn Allen capitalized on a Noi turnover with a quick three himself to close the gap to 51-47. However, after the media timeout, Florida missed six of their final seven attempts and fell 55-50.

    Fast Facts

    • KeVaughn Allen led the Gators with 11 points, but only shot 4-13 from the field and 2-9 from deep.
    • Kevarrius Hayes finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds, but also blocked five shots. Hayes is now in third place in program history with 187 career blocks (surpassed Joakim Noah).
    • The Gators recorded an assist on 14 of their 19 made baskets.

    TEAM STATS:

    FLORIDA TCU
    FG % 31 36
    3-PT % 30 25
    FT % 80 74
    Offensive Rebounds 13 14
    Total Rebounds 33 45
    Assists 14 10
    Steals 7 5
    Blocks 8 6
    Turnovers 10 17

    What’s Next

    Florida returns to the SEC slate with a home date against #20 Mississippi. The Rebels are 14-5 this season and fell to #24 Iowa State 87-73 in the SEC / Big XII Challenge on Saturday.

  • WGYM: Three Meets, Three Ws – Florida Defeats Kentucky for Another Win

    WGYM: Three Meets, Three Ws – Florida Defeats Kentucky for Another Win

    Photo by Brian Fox / Chomp Talk

    Head coach Jenny Rowland confessed after hosting Kentucky: “I have to be honest, I did not catch the end score.” She and her Gator Gymnastics team were too focused, staying in their bubble, building on each routine as they went.

    Florida did have a slow start as it did at its last home meet, trailing Kentucky after the first rotation. Trinity Thomas was the highlight of the rotation, her Yurchenko 1.5 looking the best it has yet in college, earning a 9.875. The team was forced to count the two 9.775 scores from Sierra Alexander and Maegan Chant after Savannah Schoenherr tried a little too hard to stick her vault and sat it instead, earning just 9.325. Kentucky, on the other hand, came out of the gate hot on bars, with Cally Nixon, Alex Hyland and Mollie Korth all earning 9.85 or better. Freshman Nixon earned the team’s best bars score, a 9.9 punctuated by her super-high double tuck dismount that she stuck perfectly. After one, the Wildcats led 49.225 to Florida’s 49.025.

    Bars was where the Gators surged ahead though, earning a record-high 49.725 rotation score – the best bars score in the nation this season and the highest event score in Florida program history. Every single gymnast earned at least a 9.9, though the fairness of some of those scores is perhaps a little dubious. There were definitely some short overshoots and final handstands that weren’t deducted, but it sure made for an electric atmosphere and gave the Gators the momentum they needed going into beam. Thomas was again the standout, winning bars with a near-perfect 9.975. Kentucky came out a little slow on vault as its opponents did, with its first few scores in the 9.7s. However, their final two vaulters impressed with their Yurchenko 1.5s – Korth and Katie Stuart, the latter of whom debuted this vault here. Stuart ended up winning the vault event title with her 9.9. After two, the Gators had more than closed the gap, leading 98.775 to 98.3.

    Beam was the Gators’ ultimate strength last week against LSU, but unfortunately, it was not quite the same beam team that showed up tonight. The girls showed some nerves, with uncharacteristic bobbles from Gowey and a missed connection from Thomas. It wasn’t all bad though – Amelia Hundley earned a personal best 9.9, and Thomas didn’t even need that connection to get all her bonus, earning a 9.925 to win the event. Kentucky didn’t start floor well, as Stuart struggled with all three of her tumbling passes and Ella Warren had some lackluster landings. Hyland reset the game with her innovative choreography and powerful tumbling, and Korth and Aubree Rosa closed out the night with their E pass routines. This was Rosa’s first time truly hitting floor this season with the addition of her new double layout, which surprised casual and serious fans alike tonight. Despite nerves on both sides, Florida extended their lead, leading Kentucky 148.125 to 147.55.

    The Gators clinched the night on floor, despite an early out-of-bounds mistake from Sydney Johnson-Scharpf. Notably absent tonight was Nya Reed, who was rotated out to have a chance to rest, so Rachel Gowey replaced her in the lineup this evening. The final five gymnasts all scored 9.9 or better for a final rotation score of 49.55, with Boren and Thomas earning a share of the event title (shared with Kentucky’s Korth) at 9.925 each. The O-Dome turned electric in these final moments, erupting into roars after each floor performer finished, chanting for 10s and chomping along with the choreography. Kentucky didn’t give up though the win was unlikely, closing out its night with a solid beam rotation. As expected, Hyland was the highlight of the apparatus, showcasing her flexibility and extension throughout her elements and earning a 9.875.

    The all-around title went to Thomas in just her third collegiate meet, scoring a 39.7, with Boren close behind at 39.525. After a night of ups and downs, Florida won out 197.675 to Kentucky’s 196.65. This is a score they’ll be happy to have when it comes time to switch to ranking by Regional Qualifying Score, though by the end of season they’ll hope to have replaced it with something a little higher. As coach Rowland said tonight, “There is still room for improvement. We left a lot out there, but that’s okay – it’s a process.” With three wins in three meets, whatever Florida’s process is, it’s definitely working.

  • WGYM Liveblog: No. 3 Florida vs. No. 17 Kentucky

    WGYM Liveblog: No. 3 Florida vs. No. 17 Kentucky

     

    We’re back in the O-Dome tonight with your favorite Gator gymnasts as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Follow us on our Instagram Story during warmups and we’ll go live on Facebook after the meet with coach Jenny Rowland and some of the Gators. Stay tuned here for live updates during the meet!

    Tonight, the Gators are back in full force after an invigorating win against LSU in Baton Rouge, where an LSU home defeat had not been seen in six years. The Gators’ beam team was key to that success, earning a stellar 49.475 rotation total as it came down to the very last routine to decide the meet. The Gators earned four of the top six beam scores of the night, all 9.9 or higher, and Rachel Gowey won the event with a 9.925. Trinity Thomas also tied for the floor title with a 9.95, so keep an eye on both of those individual routines as the Gators compete tonight. Also keep an eye out for Alicia Boren, who has put on a stellar all-around performance in both weeks of competition, earning 39.4 or better for her personal total.

    Fresh off of their first appearance at the national championship, the Wildcats won against SEC opponent Arkansas last week, featuring strong performances from All-American junior Mollie Korth and senior Alex Hyland. Keep an eye out for Hyland on beam and Korth on vault and floor for some high-flying fun, and watch the vault lineup for the Cats as a whole – it’s their strongest event so far this year.

    5:32pm: Warmups have concluded! Check out our Instagram story for all the updates. March-in starts in 15 minutes, but we should have lineups before then. When I have them, so will you!

    https://twitter.com/mycluttereddesk/status/1088929569795727360

    5:40pm: Here’s your lineups! I’m still not sold on this “Boren in the middle of the floor lineup” things, and changing Thomas and Schoenherr in the bars lineup isn’t my favorite thing. But I guess we’ll find out how it works here shortly.

    https://twitter.com/mycluttereddesk/status/1088931304178110464

    5:47pm: Here we go with walkout! Not a full house tonight by any stretch, but still some decent cheers from the crowd.

    5:54pm: I know this is v offtopic but that was the best national anthem I’ve heard my whole three seasons coming here (except maybe Boyce’s brother two years ago on senior night). Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled gymnastics. First touch is underway and we will be giving you all the play by play action!

    6:01pm: Here we go!

    Alexander, VT: FTY, big slide back but not as overcooked as it has been the last two weeks. I love seeing her as a regular in this lineup! She surprised me this year.

    6:02pm: Stuart, UB: a little over on first HS but muscles out of it. Tkachev is good, a little flexed feet. Bail is good. FTDLO dismount! Leans back but holds the stick long enough that I’d give it to her.

    6:03pm: Cheney, VT: FTY, just a little hop. In slow mo, you can see the piking more but it wasn’t bad in real time.

    6:04pm: Nixon, UB: first HS good, Maloney nice to bail, straight on. maybe a little short on last HS, pirouette is good, drops the double tuck in like she’s got glue on her feet. Nice!

    6:05pm: Chant, VT: Tsuk 1/1, bounce in place. I’m so glad they went back to this option for her, it’s a way more viable 10.0 start for her.

    6:06pm: Kwan, UB: short on first HS, Jaeger to overshoot is dynamic and floaty. last HS short, double pike dismount looked stuck? I have people standing in front of me again -.-

    6:07pm: Schoenherr, VT: Y1.5, tried too hard for the stick and sat it, yikes. The Gators now have to count both 9.775s from Alexander and Chant.

    6:08pm: Dukes, UB: Tkachev was super butt scrapey, pak caught super close, this is not her best tonight, her rhythm is so off. Has to muscle out of her toe shoot, DLO is whippy but she pulls it out with a stick. I do not know how she did that, that had to take some massive effort.

    6:09pm: Thomas, VT: announcer was slow on announcing her… I really hope she had the green flag cuz that was a killer. just a tiny hop forward on her Y1.5.

    6:10pm: Hyland, UB: nice first HS, Tkachev floats high but doesn’t come away from the bar enough for me. Bail is fine, toe shoot good. Full in dismount landed staggered-step but stuck! A good bounce back after Dukes’s rough 9.6

    6:11pm: Boren, VT: glad to see her anchoring here! Y1.5, stutter step forward, tried to cover her second steps out by saluting really quickly but I’m not fooled

    6:12pm: Korth, UB: short on first handstand. piked Jaeger caught a little close but okay. Bail straight on, good. last handstand was okay, not perfect but not deductable I don’t think. FTDLO, slide back. Not her greatest, but they’ll be able to drop Dukes’s score

    AFTER ONE ROTATION: it’s 49.05 Gators to Cats 49.225 – Kentucky leads! Bet they didn’t expect that one. The Gators are decently close though after a fall from Schoenherr forced them to count two 9.775s from Alexander and Chant. Florida is definitely feeling the absence of Reed there, but if she needs resting, better that they rest her now than need her and not have her later in the season.

    Bars will be interesting with some more lineup shifts, but I’m willing to give it a chance.

    Same, Spencer.

    6:19pm: Kwan, VT: FTY, small hop. Looking much better than I’ve seen it previously.

    6:20pm: Boren, UB: Tkachev lovely. Bail is good, if a little floppy. Short last handstand, oops. DLO is stuck though!

    6:21pm: Dukes, VT: has upgraded to the FTY, a little short on the landing.

    6:22pm: Gowey, UB: Ray is nice and high, handstands are lovely. Pak is good, she points her toes even into her squat on. Last handstand maybe a little short? DLO dismount stuck again! Good!

    6:23pm: Davis, VT: FTY, a little forward in her landing like she was a tad short but just a bounce in place

    6:24pm: Hundley, UB: Maloney to pak, gorgeous. Van Leeuwen, leg sep as usual. Full in, sticks it! This crowd is already roaring.

    6:25pm: Hyland, VT: really nice FTY, she’s got significantly more distance than her teammates so far. A bounce back on the landing

    6:26pm: Thomas, UB: I don’t know whyyyy you would move her forward at all in this lineup but oh well. Maloney to uprise to pak, handstands so far are goooorgeous. Van Leeuwen, hits last handstand. DLO stuck! Here come the ten chants.

    Oh shoot, I just looked at scores, I guess we’re making up for relatively fair scoring on vault. 9.95 for Boren, 9.9 for Gowey, 9.95 for Hundley…

    6:26pm: Stuart, VT: Y1.5! Is that new? Good for her, just a hop forward. That’s a great step in the right direction for Kentucky

    6:27pm: Schoenherr, UB: Good first handstands, blind change is good. Jaeger nice, bail a little shy of totally vertical before she moves on. Just the small dismount still, full pirouette to double tuck, drops it in like a pro and sticks. Maybe a little cowboyed in the air.

    6:28pm: Korth, VT: Y1.5, just a slide forward – that’ll be an excellent score for Kentucky if the judges do their jobs.

    Update on Thomas: 9.975. Not quite the 10 they were hoping for.

    6:29pm: Skaggs, UB: Great first handstand, Tkachev+pak combo is so aggressive. Maybe a little shy on final HS, DLO, maybe a little movement of feet? Hard to tell if it was a weight shift back or a scoot.

    AFTER TWO:  98.775 Florida, 98.3 Kentucky. The Wildcats’ Katie Stuart will win vault with a 9.9 for her Yurchenko 1.5, which should be seen as a HUGE victory for them. Thomas will win bars with a 9.975, though it’s not the perfect 10 the fans were asking for.

    The next half of the meet should be even more exciting, y’all – beam and floor is where both teams really shine here.

    I mean, the judges here clearly did not want to be outdone by the judges in LA.

    6:37pm: Skaggs, BB: Double wolf, bobbles a little but gets it around. Bhs loso, straight on. Cat leap, side aerial to back full dismount. Missed her dance connection when score sheets were being handed out, sorry.

    6:38pm: Stuart, FX: Double pike to open, OOB… I saw both feet go out but idk if the line judge called both. 1.5 to front lay, sits it, yikes. Not the way they wanted to start this rotation. Crashed her last pass, something’s wrong I think. I couldn’t even tell what it was supposed to be. She keeps touching her side… cramp maybe? She’s waving off her coach though like she’s fine, hmm.

    6:41pm: Piano Man for her beam music, I’m obsessed. Front aerial to sissone, good. Bhs loso, really slow but keeps it steady. Cat leap to switch side, good. Roundoff 1.5, stick!

    6:42pm: Warren, FX: front double full to open, I think this is her same Pirates routine from last year. Niiiiice oversplits in her straddle positions! Rudi for her second pass, she looks like her stamina is failing her too? She landed that short. Bhs loso mid-routine to satisfy back tumbling. Connection pass to close. A hit, which they needed, but not quite the crowd-pleaser this arena is used to.

    6:44pm: Boren, BB: front toss, solid. Bhs loso, steady. Split to straddle, good positions. Cat leap to gainer loso, solid. Cartwheel to gainer full, stutter step back.

    6:46pm: Hyland, FX: Double pike to open, nice. Going with the Fresh Prince theme again to open, but I’m fairly certain this is a new routine. Aerial to leg grab needle, fun. Headstand, even the Gator fans were impressed. Showing off her flexibility in her dance elements and her choreo. 1.5 to front lay, controls the landing well. A quick get-it-done routine, but a show piece for sure. Her energy wasn’t as high as I’ve seen it though.

    6:48pm: Gowey, BB: Switch to split, good. Bhs loso loso, leg comes up but she stays on and doesn’t wave around a whole lot. Front aerial to sissone, good. Gainer full, slide back. This is not last week’s beam squad, unfortunately. The nerves seem to be getting them a little.

    6:50pm: Dukes, FX: Her punch into her double pike is perfectly timed with the music, I love. Dance elements are lovely and extended. I love her energy, she is so undaunted by their deficit or this crowd. Front handspring front lay front full, nice! Front aerial to illusion, that’s fun! Double tuck to close, a little cowboying but opens nice and high. That’s more the kind of routine they’ve been hoping for.

    6:52pm: Thomas, BB: Switch half to beat jump, gorgeous extension. One-arm bhs to loso, straight on. Front aerial, small wobble, will not get the connection into the wolf jump. Roundoff double full, looked like elevator feet to me rather than a stick, but I’ll look at the replay. Feet didn’t move, just one heel adjustment. I’ll let you decide on that one.

    6:54pm: Korth, FX: Full in! A little low chest but okay. Rudi loso for her second pass, I love the drama she brought in that dance break though. Double pike to close, nice! Team is really pleased with that one.

    6:56pm: Baumann, BB: Onodi, she falls! I haven’t seen her fall on that skills in years. Bhs loso, good. Switch to switch half, steady. Side aerial, another wobble. Oh, Alyssa. Roundoff 1.5, almost a stick, momentum steps out of it as she salutes. Welp.

    6:57pm: Rosa, FX: DLO! Whoa, where’d that come from? Kentucky throwing all the upgrades tonight. Good extension, connects three straddle dance elements together, that’s fun. Front lay to front full, some leg sep there, but WOW where has that been hiding?? Kentucky’s momentum improving moving forward while Florida’s just took a nosedive… the fourth will be interesting.

    AFTER THREE: 148.125 Florida, 147.55 Kentucky. Florida still improves their lead despite Baumann’s fall, since Kentucky had to count Warren’s 9.7.

    7:06pm: Stuart, BB: The arena singing along to her beam music, I Want It That Way, lol. Let’s see how she recovers. Cool chest stand mount. Switch leap to stag, nice. Bhs loso, good! Needle scale to oversplit gets a crowd reaction, that’s nice. Cat leap to side aerial to back full, good. She did really well to shake off floor and reset, good for her.

    7:08pm: Johnson-Scharpf, FX: Stumbles OOB on double pike, again I saw both feet go out, but idk if line judge did cuz she only raised the flag. Front lay to front full, stag jump out. good. Yes, girl, bring the drama! Love the dance break. Double tuck to close, much better on that one.

    7:10pm: Harman, BB: Good to see her getting to compete! Full turn is good. Bhs bhs loso, perfectly steady. Front walkover, okay. Switch to kind of stag? Why are they having her do a stag in that crazy knee brace cage? Gainer pike off the end, stick! A good first competitive performance for her!

    7:12pm: Hundley, FX: Whip double tuck to play it safe, she warmed up the DLO well but they probably wanted to be safe since SJS went OOB. Double pike for second pass, good. The floor part of this choreo still isn’t my favorite but the rest of that dance break is great. 1.5 to front lay to close, nice!

    7:14pm: Angeny, BB: Bhs loso, good. Switch to sheep, not terrible, but not good enough to keep for NCAA I think. Side aerial to back tuck full. A quick routine but got the job done.

    7:15pm: Boren, FX: I preface with this, my thoughts exactly:

    DLO is gorgeous, pops it out to an easy lunge. 1.5 to front lay, dances out. Crowd getting involved in the MC Hammer moment. She struts across this floor with such confidence, she’s grown so much during her time here. Double tuck to close, opens so high. Crowd jumps to their feet – she is incredible every time on this routine, it just suits her so well. I doubt they’ll go 10 in the 3 spot, but we’ll see I guess.

    7:17pm: Korth, BB: One-arm bhs loso, was too far to the right but somehow stays on with part of her back foot off the beam, only shows it with a slight lean. Switch to back tuck, nice! Roundoff double full, little foot adjustment. Another good one for Kentucky!

    7:18pm: Thomas, FX: DLO is just iconic, I love. Front lay to front double full for her second pass, she’s got so much difficulty here, it’s incredible. The worm is such a crowd-pleaser (and for educated Gator fans, a callback to Gator great Kytra Hunter). Double back to close, doesn’t quite have the same effect as Boren on the crowd but it’ll be another great score.

    7:21pm: Dukes, BB: Bhs loso secure. Front aerial to split jump, good. Connected dance elements are nicely extended. Roundoff 1.5 twist, little step back.

    7:22pm: Baumann, FX: The premiere of this routine in the O-Dome – so ready for this. Just the double tuck again to keep everybody in bounds, but the DLO looked good in warmups too. 1.5 to front full, covers well as she dances out of it. Double pike, nicely controlled into the very corner. I love that she brings the power in this routine, though I still want more for her choreography.

    7:24pm: Hyland, BB: Switch to split, good. Cat leap to front aerial, nice. Bhs loso, dead on. Showcasing her flexibility, lovely. Cat leap to side aerial to back full, just soooo graceful. One of the best here.

    7:26pm: Gowey, FX: Baumann giving her a pep talk beforehand, I love that! Front lay to front double full! That’s eventually going to make six E pass routines for Florida. Double tuck, lovely. 1.5 to front lay to close, gorgeous. Six hits for UF will wrap up the win quite nicely for them.

    FINAL SCORES: Florida 197.675, Kentucky 196.650

    Florida still nowhere near the top scores in the nation after so many 198s have already happened, but still a solid score when it comes to RQS.

    So Florida wins by over a point after some excessive home scoring, especially on bars, but they did not actually sweep the events. Wildcat Katie Stuart wins vault with a 9.9 with her new Yurchenko 1.5, and Florida’s Trinity Thomas will take bars with a 9.975. Thomas also takes the beam title with a 9.925, and floor was a three-way tie between Kentucky’s Mollie Korth and Thomas and Alicia Boren from Florida. Trinity wins her first AA title, in just her third meet of her college career.

    That’s it here, folks! We’ll have a recap up later tonight, but catch us on Facebook Live shortly for quick interviews with some of your Lady Gators and head coach Jenny Rowland. See you there!

  • LAX: Gators ranked #1 in AAC Preseason Coaches Poll; UF sweeps awards

    LAX: Gators ranked #1 in AAC Preseason Coaches Poll; UF sweeps awards

    The American Athletic Conference announced the preseason coaches poll as well as the All-Conference team and the annual honors.

    The University of Florida tops the Coaches Poll, earning five of six possible first place votes.

    1. Florida
    2. Vanderbilt
    3. Connecticut
    4. Temple
    5. Cincinnati
    6. East Carolina

    Senior attacker Lindsey Ronbeck was named the preseason AAC Attacker of the Year after compiling 45 goals and 13 assists in 13 games as a junior.

    Senior midfielder Sidney Pirreca was named the preseason AAC Midfielder of the Year. Pirreca finished the 2018 campaign with 42 goals and 11 assists.

    Defender Cara Trombetta earned AAC Defender of the Year honors. Trombetta was an All-Big East performer last year as a sophomore and set the program’s record for turnovers caused (43).

    GK Haley Hicklen was named the preseason AAC Goalkeeper of the Year. Hicklen recorded a program record 178 saves last year and was All-Big East a season ago.

    They were joined by Sabrina Cristodero, Grace Haus, and Shannon Kavanagh on the All-AAC team.

    Florida finished 2018 with a 17-4 record and went undefeated in Big East play. The Gators open 2019 in Colorado on February 9.

  • SB: Barnhill, Lorenz headline Preseason All-SEC team

    SB: Barnhill, Lorenz headline Preseason All-SEC team

    Photo by Shane Bevel / Getty Images

    A pair of Florida seniors headline the Preseason All-SEC team, the conference announced on Thursday.

    Pitcher Kelly Barnhill and outfielder Amanda Lorenz were selected among fourteen players from the SEC.

    Both Barnhill and Lorenz have lengthy resumes and are two of the most decorated athletes in program hsitory.

    Barnhill is coming off a 29-3 season where her ERA was just 1.08. Barnhill compiled 324 strikeouts in 214.1 innings of work in 2018.

    In her career, Barnhill has posted a 70-8 record in the circle and has a sub-1 ERA (0.92).

    Barnhill was the 2018 SEC Pitcher of the Year and was the 2017 USA Softball Player of the Year, in addition to numerous other accolades.

    Photo by Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images

    Amanda Lorenz enters 2019 with the highest career batting average in program history (.401) and is coming off a remarkable season that concluded with an SEC Player of the Year honor.

    Lorenz finished 2018 with a .416 average to go along with 11 homers and 61 RBI. Lorenz slugged at an impressive .753 clip last season as well.

    In addition to her bat, Lorenz has also excelled on the defensive end as well Lorenz has made 173 putouts from her left field perch, but has only committed one error in three seasons.

    Florida will open the season in Tampa for the USF Opening Weekend Tournament on February 8.

  • MBB: Allen, Locke lead Gators to comeback win against Texas A&M

    MBB: Allen, Locke lead Gators to comeback win against Texas A&M

    FINAL: TEXAS A&M 72, FLORIDA 81

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    TEXAS A&M 46 25 X 72
    FLORIDA 33 48 X 81
    FINAL: TEXAS A&M 72, FLORIDA 811st 2nd OT FINAL TEXAS A&M 46 25 X 72 FLORIDA 33 48 X 81
    (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

    Gainesville, FL –Mike White’s Gators basketball team came away with a gutsy win on Tuesday night. Florida played host to the Texas A&M Aggies, a team that has really struggled lately. In fact, A&M was only able to muster 43 total points in their previous outing, a loss to Mizzou.

    As they settled in to play at the O’Dome, they appeared ready and able to turn things around. Led by Wendell Mitchell, the Aggies posted the most first half points this Florida team has allowed all season. Mitchell put up 17 of his team’s 46 points and the Aggies went into the break feeling very confident.

    Florida’s KeVaughn Allen was really the lone bright spot in an otherwise drab first half performance. He went into the locker room with 14 points and a spot in the UF record books, becoming one of the elite who have scored more than 1,500 career points.

    The 13 point deficit that the Gators faced at the break wasn’t entirely the result of poor play on their part. Although, they seemed to insist on taking the most difficult shots they could throughout the first stanza, it was A&M’s inability to miss that gave them such a sizable advantage.

    As if to drive this point home, Mitchell nailed a three from around a half mile back, as time expired. Florida would clearly have an uphill battle on their hands.

    Following the halftime break, the Gators defense stiffened. The team who currently ranks 11th in offense allowed, managed to put the clamps on A&M’s attack. Their zone coverage was vastly improved throughout the remainder of the game and the Aggies couldn’t find an answer.

    Led by KeVaughn Allen and Noah Locke, Florida went on a 21-7 run to open the half and take the lead. As hot as A&M had been in the first half, Florida was a tinderbox in the second. As a team, the Gators drained 18 of 37 three point attempts and were perfect in limited opportunities from the charity stripe.

    For all of the struggles this year’s basketball Gators have had with finishing games, they dug deep in this one and simply dominated in the second half. The win helps Florida improve to 11-7 overall and 3-3 in conference for the season.

    This team is young and, while I don’t believe the growing pains are over just yet, they took a big step forward in their maturation tonight. They were down but not out. For tonight, the Gators can rest easy knowing that they earned their second consecutive victory.

    Fast Facts

    • KeVaughn Allen became the 14th Gator in program history to eclipse 1,500 points. He led the team in scoring, adding 31 points on a 10/16 FG performance.
    • Noah Locke was on fire in the second half, scoring 27 points. Locke hit 7/13 three point attempts.
    • A&M scored 46 points in the first half. This marks the highest first half total allowed by the Gators this season.

    TEAM STATS:

    TEXAS A&M FLORIDA
    FG % 47.5% 46.8%
    3-PT % 40.9% 48.6%
    FT % 70% 100%
    Offensive Rebounds 12 13
    Total Rebounds 31 35
    Assists 14 16
    Steals 7 8
    Blocks 3 6
    Turnovers 16 17

    What’s Next
    Florida will travel to Fort Worth, TX to take on the Horned Frogs of TCU. Texas Christian is 13-4 on the season and currently ranks 7th in the BIG XII.

  • FB: Gators bring Torrian Gray back to UF as DB Coach

    FB: Gators bring Torrian Gray back to UF as DB Coach

    Photo by Ryan Jones / 247Sports

    After Charlton Warren‘s departure to Georgia on Saturday, many of the Gators faithful were none too pleased. Not as much about losing their defensive backs coach as much as the timing of the move. Warren and Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart pulled the stunt during the official visit of one of Florida’s top DB targets, Kaiir Elam.

    Fast forward to Monday evening and Florida has hired a familiar face to fill the void left by Warren. Torrian Gray, who was on Jim McElwain‘s staff in 2016 before leaving to coach the Washington Redskins is returning to Gainesville.

    Gray has coached some heavy hitters in the Gators secondary, including current NFL player and Gators CB Marco Wilson‘s brother Quincy.

    “Obviously, Torrian brings a high level of familiarity with our program and the Southeastern Conference,” stated Dan Mullen in a press release. “His track record of preparing players for the NFL and his success coaching at that level speaks for itself. Meanwhile, with his strong recruiting ties to the state of Florida and the fact that he played for coach (Todd) Grantham in college will make this transition seamless.”

    With his 19 years of experience and familiarity with both the program and the system, Gray’s hiring is a home run for the UF program.

  • Report: Gators F Keith Stone out for season with torn ACL

    Report: Gators F Keith Stone out for season with torn ACL

    Photo by Rich Graessle / Getty Images

    An already thin frontcourt for the Gators men’s basketball team is going to be even thinner for the rest of the season.

    FloridaGators.com writer Chris Harry has confirmed that forward Keith Stone will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

    Stone had played in 17 games this season with 13 starts while averaging 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

    The injury occurred in the second half of Florida’s 62-52 win at Georgia on Saturday.

    Freshman Keyontae Johnson will likely see more minutes due to the injury, but Isaiah Stokes could also see more opportunities as well.

    *Gorjok Gak appears likely to redshirt this season after having knee surgery before the season.

    Florida will face Texas A&M at home Tuesday night with tip-off set for 8:30 PM.

  • WGYM: Gator Gymnastics Breaks LSU’s Home Win Streak

    WGYM: Gator Gymnastics Breaks LSU’s Home Win Streak

    Photo by Brian Fox / Chomp Talk

    In another hotly-contested meeting, Florida defeated LSU tonight 197.500 to 197.425, with the outcome coming down to the very last routines of the night.

    The Gators started out on bars, since it was an away meet, keeping the same lineup as last week. Trinity Thomas and Megan Skaggs were again a highlight, closing out the rotation with a 9.925 and 9.9, respectively. Amelia Hundley was also a key part of the high scoring event, showing a 9.9 with her transition-heavy routine. Meanwhile, the Tigers started out a little slow on vault, with Sarah Edwards sitting her Yurchenko 1.5 and only one routine breaking the 9.9 mark. Sarah Finnegan, their leadoff performer, earned a near-perfect 9.925 for her Yurchenko full, a vault which starts out of 9.95.

    In rotation two, Florida was also limited on vault, giving away a tenth or so on pretty much every landing, unable to stick a single vault. Most improved was Savannah Schoenherr: she struggled last week with her Yurchenko 1.5 and put a knee down, but just had a small hop forward tonight. LSU, meanwhile, had better success on bars, with Kennedi Edney, Lexie Priessman and Finnegan going 9.9, 9.925 and 9.95 in the 4-5-6 slots. At this halfway mark, LSU led Florida by two tenths, 98.775 to 98.575.

    Floor was once again a lights-out success for the Gators, with Nya Reed and Alicia Boren scoring a pair of 9.9s and Thomas tying for the event win with a 9.95. It wasn’t perfect – there was a scoring dispute with Hundley’s routine that confused many. Gymnasts only have 90 seconds for their floor routines, and if they go overtime, it’s a one-tenth neutral deduction from their final score. Judges thought Hundley went over time somehow (even though the prerecorded music is timed and cut perfectly so it’s nearly impossible to do so), so she was initially given a 9.725. It was eventually corrected to a 9.825 after a successful score inquiry. LSU went on beam in the third rotation and had a few rough moments. Bridget Dean nearly missed her jump series connection and had to fix it in the moment, and Sami Durante also showed some nerves, earning just a 9.8 and 9.775 respectively. Even Finnegan showed some uncharacteristic uncertainty, bobbling on her acrobatic series and earning just a 9.85. Still, Kennedi Edney and Reagan Campbell stepped up, earning a pair of 9.9s to keep things close.

    In the final rotation, Florida went to beam while LSU went to floor, normally their most explosive event. But Florida was prepared, counting only score below 9.9. Alyssa Baumann returned on beam (and floor) tonight after her scary fall before last week’s meet, earning herself a 9.9, and Boren and Thomas matched her with 9.9s of their own. But it was Rachel Gowey who will return to Gainesville with another beam title under her belt, earning a 9.925 with her balance of precision and elegance. LSU made a last-minute change on floor, subbing in Priessman for Sarah Edwards, but it didn’t quite work like they had planned. Priessman put a hand down on her second pass and had two short landings, meaning they needed to drop her 9.3 rather than being able to get rid of one of their mid-9.8 scores. Edney also struggled some, coming in short on her double arabian and only earning a 9.8. It came down to the very last routine – McKenna Kelley’s floor routine, her first double layout since her Achilles tear last year – and she needed a 9.95 to win. She’s capable of such a score, but unfortunately for the Tigers, she landed with her chest very low on that opening double layout and had a few tiny things in other places and only earned a 9.875.

    Expect this meet to be a preview of what’s to come in March at the SEC Championships. These two teams are the best in the conference right now, and some of the best in the nation, and they’re just getting started. Both teams have areas to still improve upon, so if they can make the corrections they need to make, conference championships are going to be more exciting this year than they’ve ever been, and both teams should expect to make nationals. Florida came out on top this time, ending LSU’s home winning streak they’ve had since 2013, but will they again in March in New Orleans? It’ll be another tight meet, just like tonight, that’s for sure.

  • SB: Gators top preseason SEC Coaches Poll

    SB: Gators top preseason SEC Coaches Poll

    Florida has captured four straight SEC titles

    Photo by Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images

    On Wednesday the Southeastern Conference announced the results of the 2019 preseason coaches poll, and unsurprisingly, the Gators top the poll.

    Florida received ten of the thirteen first place votes (Georgia 2, Kentucky 1).

    The Gators finished the 2018 season in the College World Series and won their fourth straight conference championship with a 20-4 mark in SEC play.

    Florida opens the season in the USF Opening Weekend Tournament in Tampa on February 8.

    Follow Chomp Talk on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest on the University of Florida softball program.

    2019 SEC Preseason Coaches Poll:

    1. Florida (10)
    2. Georgia (2)
    3. Tennessee
    4. South Carolina
    5. Arkansas
    6. LSU
    7. Kentucky
    8. Alabama
    9. Auburn
    10. Mississippi State
    11. Texas A&M
    12. Mississippi
    13. Missouri