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  • LAX: Sabrina Cristodero named Big East Freshman of the Week

    LAX: Sabrina Cristodero named Big East Freshman of the Week

    On Tuesday the Big East Conference announced the receipients of the weekly lacrosse honors.

    For the third consecutive week, Florida had a player who earned an honor as Sabrina Cristodero was named Big East Freshman of the Week.

    Cristodero tied a Florida freshman record with 8 draw controls in Florida’s thrilling victory over #23 Loyola on Sunday.

    Cristodero caused two turnovers, collected a ground ball, and controlled the opening draw of overtime, which the Gators used to score the game winner.

    Through four games this year, Cristodero leads the Gators with fifteen draw controls and six forced turnovers.

    Flroida returns to action at 7:00 PM from Dizney Stadium against Jacksonville University.
    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF lacrosse press release.

  • Amanda Lorenz, Kelly Barnhill earn SEC weekly honors

    Amanda Lorenz, Kelly Barnhill earn SEC weekly honors

    Florida softball just endured an eight game in five days stretch and came out unscathed. After some remarkable performances, Florida’s Amanda Lorenz and Kelly Barnhill earned SEC weekly honors.

    Lorenz was named the SEC Player of the Week thanks to a .455 batting average and a 1.045 slugging percentage during the week. Lorenz recorded ten hits (nine of which went for extra bases, including six doubles, two triples, and a home run), ten RBIs and filled the stat sheet adding six walks and a stolen base. This is the first time Lorenz has been named Player of the Week in her career.

    Barnhill+ pitched brilliantly over the last week and earned her first SEC Pitcher of the week award of 2018. Barnhill earned this achievement five times in 2017. Barnhill pitched a no-hitter on Saturday, and only topped that performance by throwing her first career perfect game the very next day. Barnhill is 7-0 with a 0.30 ERA in twelve appearances this season.

    Both Lorenz and Barnhill were named to the preseason “watch list” for Collegiate Player of the Year prior to the season.

    +Barnhill was co-recipient of the SEC Pitcher of the Week with Alexis Osorio of Alabama and Caylan Arnold of Tennessee.
    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF softball press release.

  • WBB: SEC Tournament begins Wednesday, Gators are #11 seed

    WBB: SEC Tournament begins Wednesday, Gators are #11 seed

    The Florida women’s basketball team will open the 2018 SEC Tournament on Wednesday as the #11 seed.

    The Gators will face #14 seed Ole Miss at approximately 2:25 PM from Bridgestone Arena.

    Florida finished the regular season with an 11-18 overall record and a 3-13 record in SEC play. However, the Gators have fought hard all season and forced some of the best team in the league into difficult matchups. Coach Cameron Newbauer said as much after a loss to Tennessee on Thursday, “this team is better than the record shows,” and complemented the efforts of his team all season.

    Junior guard Funda Nakkasoglu led the team in scoring at 15 points per game, but the offense is in a rhythm when senior forwards Haley Lorenzen and Paulina Hersler are able to get going, often times freeing up opportunities for the guards on the perimeter.

    This team faces long odds in the SEC Tournament but miracles do happen.

    SEC Tournament Bracket:

    Follow @GatorChompBlog on Twitter and /TheGatorChompBlog on Facebook for all the latest with the University of Florida women’s basketball program.

  • Resilient Gators top #23 Loyola behind improbable comeback

    Resilient Gators top #23 Loyola behind improbable comeback

    FINAL: FLORIDA 17, LOYOLA 16 (OT)

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    LOYOLA 8 9 0 16
    GATORS 7 9 1 17

    Gainesville, FL – The #3 Florida Gators defeated the #23 Loyola Greyhounds on Sunday in one of the most exciting contests to have taken place at Dizney Stadium.

    Florida trailed by as many four goals in the second half, but a furious rally put Florida on top 13-12 with just over twelve minutes to play in regulation. The teams traded goals until Loyola tooka 15-14 lead with 4:46 left in regulation and added another with only 2:27 to go.

    The Gators fought back and with just under two minutes to play as junior Lindsey Ronbeck scored an unassisted goal. Sophomore Madisyn Kittell completed the comeback bid with an incredible effort in the final minute and a half as she forced Loyola into two turnovers and found the back of the net with just 1:12 to play to send the game to overtime.

    In overtime, Florida controlled the draw and immediately called a timeout. Senior Shayna Pirreca was isolated and drove toward the Loyola net. Pirreca’s shot found the netting to give Florida a thrilling overtime victory.

    Freshman Shannon Kavanagh and Ronbeck led the Gators with four goals each while Caroline Benitez, Kittell, Shayna Pirreca, and Sydney Pirreca each added two goals to the Gators cause.

    Florida will face Jacksonville at 7:00 PM on Wednesday from Dizney Stadium.

    Team Stats:

    LOYOLA GATORS
    SHOTS 29 38
    SOG 26 27
    SAVES 10 10
    DRAW CONTROLS 19 16
    TURNOVERS 23 14

    What’s Next:

    Florida will face Jacksonville from Dizney Stadium Wednesday night. The Dolphins are 2-1 on the season with wins over Michigan and Ohio State. The opening draw is set for 7:00 PM.

  • KeVaughn Allen, Dontay Bassett lead Gators past #10 Auburn

    KeVaughn Allen, Dontay Bassett lead Gators past #10 Auburn

    Florida 72, Auburn 66

    KeVaughn Allen has been a magician at times this year. He has found himself the ability to appear and disappear almost at will.

    Fortunately, for Florida fans and for the Gators NCAA tournament hopes, Allen reappeared after a disappointing effort against Tennessee on Wednesday.

    Allen, who didn’t start because he was late for a film session Friday night, finished with a game high 24 points on 6-10 (and 8-15 overall) from behind the three-point line.

    The Gators had built a 14-point lead early in the second half, but watched as Auburn chipped away. Auburn took a 64-63 lead with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. Allen nailed a 3-pointer just after and Florida never looked back.

    Biggest takeaway: Mike White started freshmen Mike Okauru and Dontay Bassett thanks to Allen, Keith Stone, and Kevarrius Hayes being disciplined for arriving late to film study on Friday.

    While Okauru made little impact on the outcome, Bassett played a much more vital role. Bassett finished with a career-high 12 points 6 rebounds in twenty-four minutes.

    While Bassett clearly outplayed Hayes (2 points, 0 rebounds, 2 blocks), it is important to note that Auburn plays much like Florida, lacking a dominant inside/post presence.

    However, if Bassett can provide the depth that Florida needs in the post, the Gators will be much better served in the stretch run.

    The not-so-good: Florida got lucky. There is no denying it. Auburn forced shots in the final minute that didn’t have a prayer of going down.

    Florida’s free throw shooting was atrocious for most of the game. After Chris Chiozza missed two foul shots with :52 left, the Gators had made only 3-11. Florida finished 7-16 thanks to Auburn’s quick-foul strategy after said ugly shots.

    Up next: Florida will face Alabama on Tuesday.

    The Gators are now in a four way tie for third place in the SEC. Alabama is one game back and Kentucky (Florida’s other remaining opponent) is tied with Florida.

    A couple of wins will propel Florida into a first round bye in the SEC Tournament, while a pair of losses will make an SEC Championship run extremely difficult.

    SEC Standings:

  • Mike Okauru, Dontay Bassett to make first career starts against Auburn

    Mike Okauru, Dontay Bassett to make first career starts against Auburn

    The Florida Gators will be going with a different starting lineup than we’ve seen in their showdown with #10 Auburn.

    Florida has chosen to start freshmen Mike Okauru and Dontay Bassett for tonight’s game against the Tigers.

    According to FloridaGators.com writer Chris Harry, KeVaughn Allen, Kevarrius Hayes, and Keith Stone all showed up late for a team meeting last night, forcing Gators coach Mike White to discipline the trio.

    Obviously this questions the players’ mentality heading into an important run for Florida’s NCAA tournament chances.

    There is no word on how long the players won’t be allowed to play.

    Florida and Auburn tip off at approximately 8:30 from Exactech Arena. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

  • Gators sweep midweek double-header against Oakland

    Gators sweep midweek double-header against Oakland

    Backed by strong pitching outings and a potent offense, Florida swept Oakland in a midweek double-header on Wednesday.

    Game one: Florida 6, Oakland 2

    The first game was domianted by the pitching of Florida starter Kelly Barnhill. Barnhill struck out 15 of the 18 batters she faced. Barnhill’s final stat line reads like this: 5.2 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 15 strikeouts.

    Barnhill (3-0) gave way to freshman Natalie Lugo in the sixth inning.

    Florida produced a run in the first inning when freshman Danielle Romanello hit a sacrifice fly to score Amanda Lorenz.

    The Gators put together a five-run fifth frame where sophomore Jordan Roberts and freshman Hannah Adams each plated two runners with singles.

    Grizzlies third baseman Madison Jones hit a 2-run homer in the seventh to ensure Florida didn’t shut Oakland out in the opening contest.

    Game two: Florida 10, Oakland 0 (5)

    Game two saw the combination of strong pitching and an offensive explosion.

    Florida grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a Nicole DeWitt RBI single that scored Lorenz.

    The Gators put a seven spot on the scoreboard in the second inning due to two errors on Oakland fielders. Six of the seven runs would be unearned.

    Florida would tack on two more runs in the third inning when Kayki Kvistad doubled to the gap in left-center scoring DeWitt and Adams.

    Katie Chronister (2-0), a Gainesville native, pitched a solid four innings allowing only one hit and striking out five. Lugo pitched the final frame of the run-rule victory.

    _________

    Florida is now 10-1 overall this season and will host the Aquafina Invitaitonal. The Gators will play six games between Friday and Sunday. Florida takes on Maryland at 4:30 on Friday.

  • Florida’s Sydney Pirreca named Big East Midfielder of the Week

    Florida’s Sydney Pirreca named Big East Midfielder of the Week

    The Big East Conference announced the week two lacrosse superlatives on Tuesday and, not surprisingly, Florida midfielder Sydney Pirreca captured Midfielder of the Week honors.

    Pirreca recorded career highs in goals (6), points (8), and draw controls (7) in a hard fought 16-14 loss to #1 Maryland. Pirreca also fueled the late comback attempt as she scored or assisted on four of the five unanswered Gators goals to end the contest.

    Pirreca is the second Gator to earn weekly honors, joining GK Haley Hicklen, who earned Defensive Player of the Week in week one.

    Florida moved up to #3 in the IWLCA Poll despite the loss.

    Florida will face #23 Loyola at home on Sunday at 12:00 PM.
    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF lacrosse press release.

  • Despite loss, Gators rise in IWLCA Poll

    Despite loss, Gators rise in IWLCA Poll

    It’s not often that a team can lose a game and rise in the national rankings. However, Florida did just that after a hard fought resilient outing against #1 Maryland on Saturday.

    Florida found themselves trailing by seven in the waning minutes of a controversially officiated game, but managed a 5-0 run to close the game, falling 16-14. Even head coach Amanda O’Leary stated, “we just ran out of time.”

    Due to the showing, the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association voted Florida to a #3 national ranking. Florida was #5 in last week’s poll. The Gators are the only team in the Top-5 with a loss.

    IWLCA Top-10 (2/19/18)

    1. Maryland (2-0)
    2. Stony Brook (1-0)
    3. Florida (1-1)
    4. Syracuse (2-0)
    5. Boston College (3-0)
    6. Southern Cal (1-1)
    7. North Carolina (2-1)
    8. James Madison (3-0)
    9. Princeton (1-0)
    10. Navy (2-0)

    The Gators will be back in action Sunday February 25 against #23 Loyola.

    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF lacrosse press release.

  • Seniors combine for 50 as Gators rout Vandy

    Seniors combine for 50 as Gators rout Vandy

    Florida 88, Vanderbilt 71

    On Sunday, Florida celebrated the senior class with a ceremony prior to the game. Florida’s three playing seniors (Gabby Seiler did not play due to knee surgery) didn’t disappoint as Dyandria Anderson, Paulina Hersler, and Haley Lorenzen combined for 50 points and 24 rebounds.

    The Gators routed Vanderbilt by a 88-71 margin that was never really in question. Junior Funda Nakkasoglu led all scorers with 25 and made 7 of 13 shots from deep. Lorenzen finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Hersler and Anderson each added 16.

    Florida outscored the Commodores in all but the final quarter and led by a 43-30 margin at halftime.

    Delicia Washington nearly accomplished a triple-double despite an ankle sprain that kept her out of practice this week. Coach Cameron Newbauer stated that they learned she would play about 20 minute before tipoff.

    Florida attacked the glass with authority edging Vandy 48-29. The Gators shot 51% and made 12 three-point shots.

    Up next:

    The Gators will face Tennessee at home on Thursday before traveling to Georgia to finish the regular season on Sunday.

    The Lady Vols are 21-6 and ranked #11 in the country. Tennessee lost to #13 Missouri 77-73 on Sunday.