Florida makes its first road trip of the season, traveling approximately 180 miles to compete in the Savannah Invitational, Nov. 21-23.
The Gators play three games in three days, squaring off against Richmond, Stetson and Savannah State.
The team departed Gainesville on Sunday afternoon in preparation for the exciting Thanksgiving event.
Florida is aiming to halt its current two-game skid, having lost at home to Arkansas State and Florida State.
How to Follow the Action
- Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis handle the radio duties with the live broadcast on ESPN Gainesville 98.1FM & 850AM WRUF that can be heard online free of charge (link available at FloridaGators.com).
- There will NOT be streamed live online coverage for any of the games at the Savannah Invitational.
What Just Happened
- Funda Nakkasoglu scored 18 points and Florida committed just six turnovers but it wasn’t enough to slow down No. 17/14 Florida State, as the Seminoles took the 84-54 decision on Friday.
- Nakkasoglu’s layup at the 4:42 mark of the second quarter had the Gators within two, 28-26. That’s when Florida State ripped off a devastating 19-0 run that lasted until there was 7:39 remaining in the third quarter and the Seminoles took a commanding 47-26 lead and never looked back.
- During that seven-minute span, Florida missed 11 consecutive shots but committed just one turnover.
Gator Watch
- Through three games, Funda Nakkasoglu and Paulina Hersler are averaging a double-figure scoring effort with 14.3 and 12.7 points per game, respectively.
- Haley Lorenzen and Delicia Washington have the tops on the boards, pulling down 8.0 and 7.0 rebounds per game, respectively.
- As a team, Florida has 25 three-pointers, with eight different Gators connecting on at least one.
Team Ties vs. Richmond
- Florida head coach Cameron Newbauer was an assistant coach with the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs program for five years, 2007-12.
- Richmond head coach Michael Shafer was an assistant coach and associate head coach for the Lady Dawgs for 11 years, 1996-2005.
- While their paths didn’t directly cross, Newbauer was working with the men’s team as a graduate manager from 2003-04 and as the director of basketball operations from 2005-07.
Team Ties vs. Stetson
- Stetson assistant coach Daniel Barber was a manager for the Gators during his undergraduate (2012) and master’s degree (2015) tenures. His wife, Robyn, is also a UF grad, a former manager and former student assistant and intern in the Gator Communications Department.
Series Histories
- Florida vs. Richmond: 3-Game Series: UF trails 0-3 (UF Home: 0-1; Away: 0-2; Neutral: 0-0)
- Florida vs. Stetson: 27-Game Series: UF leads 24-3 (UF Home: 15-1; Away: 8-2; Neutral: 1-0)
- Florida vs. Savannah State: 5-game Series: UF leads 3-2 (UF Home: 3-0; Away: 0-2; Neutral: 0-0)
Quoting Coach Cameron Newbauer:
On the first road trip of the season:
“There are a number of things you can accomplish with a road trip and not just with your game, but with team building and bonding. It’s a good opportunity to get to know each other on a much deeper level than we would if we were home.â€
On Richmond:
“They are a very good team. Very aggressive, hard-nosed, athletic-playing team with a number of very capable scorers at the guard position. Their forwards to a great job of rebounding and playing hard. They can step out and hit the three. They pose a big-time threat inside. They are relentless inside on the glass.â€
Preparing to play three games in three days:
“We’ve really have to take care of our legs more than anything. Even if you have a 15-man roster, you have to be prepared for three games in three days and that’s tough to do. With our roster being even shorter than that, we really have to manage our minutes, get off our feet with our practices here, be good with our ice baths and be smart about what we’re putting in our bodies for fuel, as well.â€
What he’s seen from the Gators on film and areas to improve:
“We’ve got to get better at the little details. We need to get better at the effort-type activities in terms of rebounding, sharing the ball more, making better passes, better decisions and that comes with time and learning what we’re trying to do on a daily basis.â€
- WATCH the complete interview with Coach Cam: http://youtu.be/z9dUT3gIs9Q
Game Day at a Glance
What: Savannah Invitational
Who: Florida (1-2) at the Savannah Invitational vs.
- Richmond (3-1) – Nov. 21, 4:30 pm
- Stetson (2-1) – Nov. 22, 7 pm
- Savannah St. (1-1) – Nov. 23, 7 pm
Where: Savannah Civic Center (8,500) * Savannah, Ga.
Game Notes (PDF)
- Florida – http://bit.ly/2hOyZm6
- Richmond – http://bit.ly/2jHRDN2
- Stetson – http://bit.ly/2B6llzL
- Savannah State – http://bit.ly/2zUB8Ds
Game Coverage & More!
- Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1FM & 850AM WRUF with Kyle Crooks & Brittany Davis
- Internet Audio: link thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)
o vs. Richmond – http://bit.ly/2AVj49y
o vs. Stetson – http://bit.ly/2AXh3cP
o vs. Savannah State – http://bit.ly/2iARmZ8
- Television: none
- Streaming Video: none
- Internet Scoring: all links on FloridaGators.com
o vs. Richmond – http://statb.us/b/199079
o vs. Stetson – http://statb.us/b/199083
o vs. Savannah State – http://statb.us/b/199086
Opening Tip
- Florida makes its first road trip of the season.
- Savannah is approximately 180 miles from Gainesville.
- The Savannah Invitational is the first of two regular-season tournaments for Florida, which plays host to the Gator Holiday Classic, Dec. 21 and 22.
- The Gators are 0-3 all-time vs. Richmond; 24-3 vs. Stetson; and 3-2 vs. Savannah State.
- UF is coming off a pair of tough loss to Arkansas State (70-69) and No. 17/14 Florida States (84-54).
- Cameron Newbauer is the 10th head coach in program history and the first man to oversee the Gators.
- Coach Cam is the first Gator head coach hired by UF Athletics Director Scott Stricklin.
Gator Pronunciations for this Release:
- FUNDA NAKKASOGLU: FOON-da knock-ah-SO-glue
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