Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After an eight day break for the holidays, the University of Florida women's basketball team returns to action Sunday, Dec. 29 to close out its 2019-20 non-conference slate with an afternoon matchup vs. the Davidson Wildcats at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET as the Gators and Wildcats meet for the first time.
 

GAME INFO

Date:	Sunday, Dec. 29
Time:	2 p.m. ET
Matchup:	Florida (8-4) vs. Davidson (7-5)
Location:	Gainesville, Fla. | Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell
TV:	SECNetwork+ with Kyle Crooks & Brittany Davis
Live Stats:	Here
Radio:	WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM  with Tom Collett and Kelly Davis
Game Notes:	Florida | Davidson
Promotions:	Sundae Sundays Kids Korner Lavender Briggs Player Day
Tickets:	Here

In their most recent action on Dec 20 and Dec. 21, the Gators split a pair of matchups against Xavier and Wake Forest at the West Palm Beach Invitational in West Palm Beach, Fla. Florida opened the holiday tournament with a 67-64 victory over Xavier after redshirt-senior Zada Williams turned in a career performance. The Florida native tallied a career-best 25 points as the Gators held on for the victory. Against Wake Forest, another Florida player enjoyed a career day but this time it would come up short, falling 73-68. Freshman standout Lavender Briggs continued her torrid streak, scoring in double figures for the 10^th straight game and registering a career-high 23 points. Briggs scored 19 of her points in the first half and Florida held the lead at the intermission, but couldn't hold on as the Demon Deacons made the necessary plays down the stretch to secure the win.

At 8-4, Florida has already matched its win total from the 2018-19 season. The Gators are much improved across the board and in particular are excelling with stingy defense, a commitment to rebounding and a versatile offensive attack.

With just one non-league game remaining on the docket, Florida is conceding just 58.3 points per game. A Gator team hasn't allowed under 60 points per game over the course of their non-conference slate since the 2010-11 season (58.5).

UF has outrebounded its opponent in nine games and is 8-1 when doing so. Its +7.4 rebound margin ranks sixth in the SEC.

Florida's offensive production has come from several sources. It has featured four double-figure scorers in five games already this season after only doing this a total of five times in 31 games a season ago.

With 10 double-figure scoring outputs in her first 11 career games played, Briggs became the first Gator to accomplish this feat through records dating back to the 1986-87 season. The Utah native has scored 10 or more points in 10 straight games, the longest streak by any UF player since the 2006-07 season and her four double-doubles are tied for the most among SEC freshman.

Her 13.9 points per game average is the highest by a UF rookie through their first 11 career games since 2002.

Williams has a pair of double-doubles of her own and has racked up nine double-figure scoring efforts through UF's first 12 games. In her first season with the Gators in 2018-19, she had just 11. The six-foot-two forward has been Florida's anchor, leading the team with an exceptional .648 field goal percentage.

Kiki Smith, who has increased her scoring average by 87 percent from last season to now, has led the team in scoring in seven games. The team's primary ball handler leads the squad in assists, points scored and free throws attempted per game.

Davidson enters the matchup with a 7-5 record and has dropped back-to-back contests vs. Columbia on the road and against Charlotte at home. On Sunday, the Wildcats will take on their third Power Five opponent as they also played at Virginia Tech and Duke earlier in the season, both losses. Davidson welcomed back four starters from last season's squad, including Preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection Sarah Donovan. The A-10's Most Improved Player a season ago, Donovan averages 12.1 points and a team-best 9.2 rebounds. Two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week, Suzi Rose-Deegan paces the team with a 15.2 points per game average. Deegan, who hails from Australia, scored 30 points in Davidson's most recent matchup vs. Charlotte, her second 30-point game of the season. The Wildcats were selected to finish fifth in conference's preseason poll this season.

The Wildcats are under the direction of third-year head coach Gayle Fulks. Fulks guided the team to a 17-15 record a season ago (10-6 in A-10) and a WBI appearance.

Following Sunday's contest, Florida will open its SEC slate on the road on Thursday, Jan. 2 when it travels to Starkville, Miss. to battle the No. 15 Mississippi State Bulldogs.

NOTABLES

• Sunday marks the first-ever meeting between Florida and Davidson. The Wildcats are the third team this season that Florida faces for the first time.
• Against Wake Forest, UF committed just 10 turnovers. The Gators have had two games this season with 10 or fewer turnovers already this season after only doing this once in 2018-19.
• With a win Sunday, Florida would have nine non-conference wins, its most since the 2016-17 season.
• Through 12 games last season, UF was just 3-9. Through 12 games this season, UF sits at 8-4.
• Florida has won its last eight non-conference finales. Its last loss in its non-conference final came at No. 25 FSU on Dec. 28, 2010.
• The Gators are outscoring their opponents 222-162 in the second quarter, their best scoring margin in any quarter so far this season. Florida has won 10 of its 12 second quarters this season.
• Florida has held its opponent below its scoring average in eight of its last 10 games.

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