Florida Gators

MACON, Ga. – The University of Florida women's basketball team (0-2) travels to Macon, Ga. Thursday, Nov. 15 to take on the Mercer Bears (1-1) in its second of back-to-back road contests. Tip-off from Hawkins Arena is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
 
The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+, for those who subscribe, with Todd Wilson and Sybil Blalock on the call while Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis will handle the radio broadcast on ESPN 850 AM. For more information on ESPN+, click here.

UF Game Notes  | Mercer Game Notes
 
The Gators took the court against Florida State in their most recent action, dropping a narrow 56-63 decision to the Seminoles in Tallahassee this past Sunday, Nov. 11. Despite holding a halftime lead, its first in the series since 2011, the feisty Florida unit came up short against its instate foe in women's basketball version of the Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown. Redshirt-senior guard Funda Nakkasoglu poured in a game-best 21 points, her second 20+ point effort in as many games to open the season while Delicia Washington finished with 12 including 11 in the fourth quarter alone. FSU's 14-0 run which extended from late in the second to the early third quarter, along with its ability to collect offensive rebounds late in the game, denied the Gators their upset bid.

"We are mainly focused on growth right now. We focus on growing in each moment whether it be in practice or in the game. I saw a lot of growth from game one to game two, and I'm confident I'll be seeing the same in game three. We did some great things at Florida State but we also did some things we will need to improve upon. We are going to take what we did well and build on it and take what we didn't do well and learn from it. As a staff we continue to challenge everybody on the team and work towards getting the best out of each and every player," said Florida Head Coach Cameron Newbauer.
 
Mercer, who has split its two games so far this season, registered a 79-72 win at Georgia Southern Monday night. The Bears, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in program history, return three starters from last season's squad that finished 30-3 and nearly upset the Georgia Bulldogs in March. One of the three returners is senior guard KeKe Calloway who has been the primary offensive catalyst so far in 2018-19, averaging 26 points per game. Calloway's scoring average ranks her in the top 15 nationally.

Mercer is under the direction of Susie Gardner who has amassed 145 victories at Mercer and over 300 in her career. Gardner spent three seasons as an assistant for Florida (2007-10) and has seven years of SEC coaching experience, having spent four seasons (2003-07) at the helm of the Arkansas program. The Bears' staff also features, Drew Landers, son of former legendary Georgia head coach, Andy Landers. Coach Newbauer worked with Landers and the Bulldog staff from 2007-12. Andy is currently a women's college basketball analyst for ESPN.
 
Thursday will be the eighth meeting between the two programs and Florida holds a 4-3 edge in the series coming into the matchup. The two squads last met in January of 1991 when the Gators earned a 72-61 victory at home. Mercer claimed the first three meetings, but the Gators have won four-straight in the series that dates back to 1978.

"Going up against a team like Mercer on the road, we will need to play hard and play together. We need to make sure we accomplish the little things and focus on what we can control."
 
Following Thursday's matchup with Mercer, UF returns to Gainesville to host Big Ten foe Northwestern Sunday, Nov. 18 at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. For more information on tickets for Sunday's game, click here.
 
Florida at Mercer Broadcast Info
Time & Date: Thursday Nov. 15 | 7 p.m. ET
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: Link
Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850 AM WRUF
 
Notables

• Funda Nakkasoglu has made a three-pointer in 25-straight games, the second-longest streak in program history. She sits five games behind the leader Brandi McCain (30).
  • She connected on six three-pointers at Florida State, totaling her second-highest mark in a single game and becoming just the 28^th Gator to record at least six three-pointers in a single game.
  • Averaging 4.5 three-pointers per game, Nakkasoglu ranks 15^th nationally.
  • Her nine three-pointers rank her 11^th nationally.
  • She has scored over 20 points in 38 career games (Utah State and Florida)

• Kiki Smith, who put together a great all-around game against Florida State in just her second game as a Gator, has a 4.5 assist to turnover ratio that ranks her 45^th nationally.
• Florida played in 15 games decided by 10 points or fewer a season ago. Through two games in 2018-19, it has a two-point loss and a seven-point loss.
• Mercer is one of the 15 teams Florida will take the floor against that qualified for the postseason in 2017-18.
• The Gators are outscoring their opponents 32-17 in first quarters on the season.

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