Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After claiming its first SEC win this past Sunday over Auburn, the University of Florida women's basketball team returns to game action Sunday, Jan. 24 when it travels to Ole Miss for a 3 p.m. ET tip at the Pavilion at Ole Miss. Appearing in front of a national audience for the seventh time this season, the Gators' game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network with Tiffany Greene and former Gator guard Steffi Sorensen on the call. 
 

GAME INFO

Date:	Sunday, Jan. 24
Time:	3 p.m. ET
Matchup:	Florida (8-6, 1-5) vs. Ole Miss (7-4, 1-4)
Location:	The Pavilion at Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss.
TV:	SEC Network  with Tiffany Greene and Steffi Sorensen
Live Stats:	Here
Radio:	WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis
Game Notes:	Florida | Ole Miss

Last time out on Jan. 17, Florida blitzed Auburn out of the gates, outscoring it 21-8 in the first quarter and never looked back as it held off a series of runs from the Tigers. The Gators' dynamic duo of Lavender Briggs and Kiki Smith delivered yet again as they combined to score 40 points in the win.

After averaging 29.5 points per game over two games last week and scoring a league-best 41 points at No. 17 Arkansas, Lavender Briggs was named the SEC Player of Week on Tuesday. Becoming the first Gator to take home the honor since 2018, Briggs continued to showcase her impressive scoring ability. Briggs ranks No. 5 in the SEC in scoring at 19.4 points per game, which is the No. 14 mark among all player in the Power 5 conferences. 

Briggs set new career highs in field goals (17) and three-pointers made (6) and led the Gators' spirited charge vs. Arkansas. Briggs' 41 points were the most scored by a sophomore in program history and most by any Gator since former First Team All-SEC selection Ronni Williams scored 43 against Vanderbilt in 2017. Through her first six SEC games, Briggs is averaging 23.2 points per game against the nation's top talent.

Smith has put together an impressive stat line for her senior campaign, averaging 15.9 points, 6.4 boards, 3.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Smith has been steady all year with double figures in 13 games but over the last two, she's been outstanding notching consecutive 20-point games for the first time in her career. Against Auburn she led the team in points (22), rebounds (13), assists (4) and steals (5) after scoring 21 at Arkansas. Smith is one four SEC players to lead their team in those four categories in a single game (Rennia Davis, Koi Love, Unique Thompson).

The overall series history sways in favor of Florida as the Gators own a 23-19 edge. Each of the last seven meetings has been decided by 10 or fewer points with Ole Miss posting a 4-3 record in that span. Under Newbauer, Florida is 3-3 against Ole Miss and has claimed the last two meetings. Two of the last four meetings have occurred in the SEC Tournament with each team posting a win.

The Gators and Ole Miss met once last season in Gainesville on Feb. 13. The then freshman Briggs, tied her then career high with 23 points and came through in a major way for the Gators late in the game knocking down the eventual game-winning free throws and the game-sealing steal on the final possession. The Gators, who faced a fourth quarter deficit as a large as four, won for the first time when trailing with under five minutes to play. Florida got off to a smashing start, surging to an 18-point lead in the first half.

Ole Miss enters the game sporting a 7-4 overall record which includes a 1-4 mark in conference action. The Rebels have dropped contests against LSU, nationally-ranked Mississippi State, Georgia and Missouri and collected their lone conference win over Auburn. Maryland transfer Shakira Austin has been a force in her first season, averaging 17.9 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor. New faces like Austin are a major key in the Rebels' game plans as newcomers account for over 75 percent of their offensive production. Donneta Johnson, a transfer from Georgia, averages double figures at 13.5. Johnson and Austin are the only players on the roster to have started all 11 games so far this season.

Ole Miss, which was selected to finish 11th in the SEC preseason media poll, is under the direction of third year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. She spent the previous five seasons at the helm at Jacksonville, leading the Dolphins to a 94-63 record during that span and three-straight 20 wins seasons.

Notables

• In five of their first six conference games, the Gators have held their opponent below their scoring average. Florida held nationally-ranked Mississippi State to 15 points fewer than its scoring average coming in (83 to 68) and against Georgia it held the Lady Bulldogs to 10 points fewer (78 to 68). Against Auburn, it limited the Tigers to just 54 points and held them to just 27.9 percent shooting from the floor, the lowest field goal percentage it has allowed to an opponent all season.
• Florida's three freshmen average 32 minutes per game which is the third-most among rookie classes in the league trailing just Auburn (39.6) and Tennessee (39.0). Rookie forward Jordyn Merritt corralled a career-high eight rebounds in UF's win over Auburn.
• Seven of the last 10 meetings between the programs have been decided by 10 of fewer points.
• The Gators are in search of their first win in Oxford since 2016 when they recorded an 85-65 win over the Rebels.
• In the Jan. 22 NET rankings, Florida is No. 44 while Ole Miss is No. 20.
• Nine SEC teams are ranked in the top 50 of the NET rankings.
• Briggs ranks No. 5 in the SEC in scoring at 19.4 points per game and No. 3 in minutes played at 34.7.
• Among players in the Power 5, Briggs is No. 14 in scoring. 
• Smith ranks top 10 in the SEC in field goal percentage (.494) and assists (3.8) and No. 4 in steals (2.4). 
• In SEC games, Briggs is averaging 23.2 points per game trailing just Chelsea Dungee (25.2) and Rhyne Howard (25.0) both veterans of the SEC.
• In conference games, Smith is shooting .806 from the free throw line, the fourth-best mark in the conference. 

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