Florida Gators

OCALA, Fla. – The Gators travel 38 miles South to Ocala and play their third game of a season-opening 12-game road trip, as Florida faces Temple in what should be an exciting event tipping off at 1 p.m.

 
The game will be the first of two for the Gators at Patriot Gym on the campus of the College of Central Florida (3001 SW College Road, Ocala, FL 34474), returning on Wed., Nov. 30 to play Wofford.
 
Admission is FREE!
 
High Octane!

• If offense is what gets fans excited, then Saturday's game has the potential to turn Patriot Gym into a frenzy!
• Last year's game between Florida and Temple was a 97-91 thriller.
• This season, the Owls sport a two-game average of 86 points per game, while the Gators have ticked off 78.5 points in their two wins.

 
Scoring and Miscues

• With both teams pushing the tempo, there could be a significant number of turnovers as well, with Florida averaging 19 over its first games, but also forcing 24. Temple has committed 15.5 per game and forces 20.

 
Leading the Way for the Gators

• Thanks in part to her career-high 29-point outburst against Chattanooga, sophomore Eleanna Christinaki is leading three Gators in double-figure scoring with 22.5 per game to go along with 7.0 rebounds.
• Junior Haley Lorenzen has scored 16 points in both of UF's two games and senior Ronni Williams is averaging 13.0 points and a team-best 9.0 rebounds.

 
Leading the Way for the Owls

• Five Owls are averaging a double-figure scoring output, with Tanaya Atkinson and Feyond Fitzgerald netting an impressive 22.0 and 21.5 points per game, respectively.
• Fitzgerald leads Temple in rebounding (6.5 pg) and assists (7.0 pg).

 
The Series: Florida vs. Temple

• 7-game Series: UF leads 5-2 (UF Home: 1-1; Away: 3-1; Neutral: 1-0)

 
Quick Scout on the Owls

• Temple and Florida met in last year's season-opener in Philadelphia, where the Owls won the 97-91 shoot-out.
• Temple is the preseason pick to finished second in the American behind four-time defending NCAA champion UConn.
• Alliya Butts and Feyonda Fitzgerald were named to the preseason All-Conference first team, with Butts the only unanimous selection.
• Temple opened its season with wins at Saint Joseph's (W, 86-70) and vs. La Salle (W, 72-61)
• The Owls reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 Postseason WNIT last year, finishing with a 23-12 overall record. Nine letterwinners, including four starters, from that team return this season.

 

Quoting Florida Head Coach Amanda Butler:
On Temple:
"They are really good and they beat us last year in an offensive battle. There wasn't a lot of defense played by either team. They are probably the most complete set of guards that we've played against when you look at speed, athleticism and their skill sets. They have a team full of upperclassmen. They are on a mission to get their team to the NCAA Tournament so it's going to be a giant challenge for us."
 
On Playing the game in Ocala:
"I'm really excited about it. I think it's going to be a challenge that our team has been waiting for. We've prepped with some of the preseason things that we did. It will give us the opportunity to play in front of some fans who don't get to see us as often in Gainesville and this will make it a little easier for them to see us. Hopefully, we'll create an environment there that will be easy to get caught up in and will translate into some energy in January and February when we'll be playing back at home in Gainesville."
tem

 
Last Time Out: Florida def. Chattanooga, 72-61 (Mon., Nov. 14 * Chattanooga, TN)

• Eleanna Christinaki scored a career high 29 points to lead three double-figure scoring Gators
• Christinaki's scoring output is the most by a Gator since Dec. 21, 2013 when Christin Mercer netted 31 against FIU.
• Haley Lorenzen scored 16 points for the second time in as many games this season
• Ronni Williams finished with 10 points
• Entering the game, UTC had won 64 of its last 66 home games, with notable victories during that span against Tennessee twice (No. 4 in 2014 and No. 20 in 2012) and Stanford (No. 7 in 2014)
• UTC tied the score twice during the fourth quarter, but UF answered both times with Williams connecting on two free throws on time and Christinaki nailing a three-pointer the second time.
• UF ended the game on a 9-0 run.
• UF hit 80 percent (8-10) from the floor in the final quarter, while UTC managed just 23.1 percent (3-13).

 
Gator Pronunciations:

• ELEANNA CHRISTINAKI: L-ee-on-uh chris-tin-OCK-ee

 
Game Day Information

• Who: #19/23 Florida (2-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. #rv/rv Temple (2-0, 0-0 AAC)
• When: Sat., November 19, 2016 * 1 p.m. ET
• Where: Patriot Gym (1,000) * Ocala, Florida [played at the College of Central Florida (3001 SW College Road, Ocala, FL 34474)]

 
Pregame Notes:

• Florida
• Temple

 
Game Coverage & More!

• Radio: none locally due to the Gator football game
• Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE) with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis [direct link]
• Television: none
• Streaming Video: SEC Network+ with LIVE link through FloridaGators.com [direct link]
• Internet Scoring: LIVE link through FloridaGators.com [direct link]
• Tickets: FREE

 
Opening Tip

• Florida leads the all-time series vs. Temple, 5-2, however the Owls won last year's meeting, 97-91, in Philadelphia.
• Temple is receiving votes in both national polls this week, unofficially No. 32 in the Associated Press listing.
• The Owls are the preseason favorite to finish second in the American Athletic Conference behind UConn; the Gators are picked to finish fourth in the SEC

 
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