After playing six-straight home games, the University of Florida women’s basketball team returns to the road for a matchup at Prairie View A&M on Thursday, Dec. 5 as the Gators and Panthers meet for just the second time. Tipoff from the Baby Dome at the William Nicks Building is slated for 8 p.m. ET.
| GAME INFO |
| Date: | Thursday, Dec. 5 |
| Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| Matchup: | Florida (5-2) vs. Prairie View A&M (2-5) |
| Location: | Prairie View, Texas | Baby Dome at the William Nicks Building |
| Live Stream: | PVAMU Sports Network |
| Live Stats: | Here |
| Radio: | WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis |
| Game Notes: | Florida | Prairie View A&M |
The Gators are fresh off a convincing 84-40 victory over Florida A&M this past Sunday. Tying its season-high in points scored, Florida featured a potent offensive attack which was spearheaded by redshirt-senior Zada Williams. The Lake Wales, Fla. native exploded for a career-high 22 points and a career-high 19 rebounds as she finished with the most boards in a single game since Vanessa Hayden corralled 20 in a game vs. Arkansas during the 2001-02 season. Freshman Lavender Briggs also recorded a double-double, her third of the season, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Kiki Smith scored 10 and Ariel Johnson 14, as Florida shot above 50 percent for the second time this season.
In addition to its excellent offense, UF again put together a stout defensive approach. Holding their opponent below their season scoring average for the fifth-straight contest, the Gators limited FAMU to just 26.9 percent shooting and held the Rattlers to only three points in the fourth quarter.
The Gators have held their opponent to under 30 percent shooting four times already this season.
Smith (13.7), Briggs (13.2) and Williams (11.7) are all averaging double figures through seven games. The Gators have won the battle of the boards six times and rank No. 3 in the SEC in rebounding at 46.0 per game. Briggs, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, ranks third among all SEC rookies in scoring.
Thursday marks just the second-ever meeting between the Gators and Panthers. The teams met 12 years ago in Gainesville when UF posted a 69-63 win. UF is 11-2 all time vs. the SWAC. Florida’s trip to Prairie View A&M will be its second stop on the SWAC circuit this season as it also took on Grambling State in Grambling, La. to open the season.
Prairie View A&M has opened the 2019-20 slate with a 2-5 record. The Panthers own home wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville and Wiley College. The Panthers have already squared off with three Power 5 programs in Oklahoma, Arizona and Texas A&M. Senior guard Bernesha Peters paces the Prairie View offense with a 10.3 points per game average. Sandy Pugh is in her second season at the helm of the Panther program and has posted a 19-19 record. Prior to accepting the position at Prairie View, Pugh spent the previous 18 seasons leading Southern University. Pugh, a four-time SWAC Coach of the Year, guided the Jaguars to four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Panthers lost nine letterwinners from last season’s squad while welcoming the services of eight newcomers.
Following Thursday’s tilt, the Gators will remain on the road and travel to Kansas for a Big 12/SEC Challenge showdown with the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday, Dec. 8.
NOTABLES
- Lavender Briggs is one of just two freshmen across the SEC to have at least three double-doubles already this season. USC’s standout Aliyah Boston (4) is the other.
- Briggs became the first Florida freshmen since Vanessa Hayden in 2001 to record three double-doubles in her first seven games of her career.
- Florida has scored over 80 points in two games already this season after cracking 80 just once a season ago.
- The Gators are outscoring their opponents 134-91 in the second quarter, their best scoring margin in any quarter so far this season.
- Florida has featured four double-figure scorers in four games already this season. A season ago the Gators only did this in five games.
- At 5-2, Florida is off to its best start since the 2016-17 campaign. The Gators haven’t started 6-2 since that same season.
- The Gators have held their last five opponents below their scoring average. On four occasions they have held their opponent to less than 30 percent shooting after only doing so twice last year.
- Florida’s two losses this season came against teams currently ranked within the top 15 of the AP Top 25 in FSU (No. 8) and Indiana (No. 14).
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators