Fresh off its third-straight victory to open the season, the University of Florida women’s basketball team returns to action Monday, Nov. 18 for the second annual Field Trip Day when it hosts Presbyterian College for a non-conference clash at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The game features a special 10:30 a.m. ET tipoff and over 1,000 local elementary students are expected to be on hand.
With Monday’s game occurring during normal business hours, parking at the surrounding lots will not be lifted. Fans without the necessary parking decals are encouraged to park at Flavet Field where there will be a shuttle running from 9:30 a.m. until approximately 45 minutes following the conclusion of the game.
| GAME INFO |
| Date: | Monday, Nov. 18 |
| Time: | 10:30 a.m. ET |
| Opponent: | Presbyterian (2-1) |
| Location: | Gainesville, Fla. | Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell |
| Radio: | WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM |
| Radio Talent: | Ryan Urquhart & Haley Lorenzen |
| Live Stats: | Here |
| TV: | SEC Network+ |
| TV Talent: | Kyle Crooks & Brittany Davis |
| Game Notes: | Florida | Presbyterian |
| Promotions: | Field Trip Day |
Florida put together its best performance of the young season last time out, powering past Samford 84-48 Saturday afternoon. The Gators opened with a 13-0 run and never looked back. Three-point shooting and contributions from up-and-down the roster were the keys to the victory as the Gators tied an O’Connell Center record with 13 made three-pointers and all 10 players to appear in the game scored.
Freshman Lavender Briggs again finished with a double double as the first-year Gator put up 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kiki Smith and Ariel Johnson set new career highs in points scored while Kristina Moore added her first double-digit scoring effort of the campaign. First quarters hadn’t been kind to UF in its first two matchups, but it quickly flipped the script against Samford scoring 28 in the opening stanza.
Through three games, Smith leads the team in scoring (14.3), rebounds (7.3), assists (5.3) and steals (3.0).
In all three wins, Florida has outrebounded its opponent and the Gators rank near the top nationally in rebounds per game (51.3, No. 9), rebound margin (+16, No. 14) and offensive rebounds per game (19.0, No. 16).
Monday marks the first meeting between the programs. Including Presbyterian, Florida will go up against four first-time opponents in 2019-20.
Presbyterian has opened the season 2-1, posting wins South Carolina State and at home vs. Division III William Peace. The Blue Hose will take on their second Power 5 opponent already on the young season as they squared off with West Virginia in Morgantown on Nov. 10, falling 56-40. Trinity Johnson, who led the team in scoring last season with a 15.7 points per game average, paces the team at 10.3 per game this year. The Blue Hose are under the direction of second year head coach Alaura Sharp who spent two seasons as an assistant at Louisiana Tech before accepting the position.
PC is 0-14 all time vs. SEC foes while Florida is 10-2 against the Big South.
A season ago, Florida opened its season vs. Gardner-Webb, also on Field Trip Day. Florida defeated Longwood, also in the Big South, in its home opener on Nov. 10.
Following Monday morning’s contest, the Gators next take the court Friday, Nov. 22 when they continue their season-long six-game homestand with a matchup against Indiana.
| NOTABLES |
- The Gators host six-straight home games from Nov. 10 – Dec. 1. Their six-game homestand is the team’s longest since the 2005-06 season when it hosted eight consecutive games.
- Florida dished out 22 assists against Samford, the highest total since Feb. 15, 2018 when it recorded 23 at Texas A&M.
- Florida’s 36-point margin of victory over Samford was its largest since defeating Savannah State 90-40 in November of 2017.
- After making just 11 three-pointers combined in their first two games, the Gators exploded for 13 against Samford, tying the O’Connell Center record. In the first half alone UF drained 11.
- Florida is undefeated through its first three games for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
- The Gators are outscoring their opponents 69-34 in the second quarter.
- After battling Presbyterian, Florida is set to take on back-to-back top 25 foes in Indiana (No. 21, AP) on Nov. 22 and Florida State (No. 17, AP) on Nov. 26.
| SEASON AND SINGLE GAME TICKET INFO |
- It’s not too late to purchase season tickets with packages starting as low as just $45 and single game tickets are also available. Click here for ticket information.
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