UF WBK: In-State Battle with Florida State Up Next for Gators Women’s Basketball

Sunday will mark the 78th meeting Gators and Seminoles.

Florida vs. Florida State
Game Information: Dec. 12 | 1 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC Network<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3De93c62ed-2D7903-2D48ab-2D8fc9-2D710466a1efb0-5F-5F-3B-21-21PhOWcWs-21jibazcbfdNUpKkxwILSkT-2DJUNzUDdkDPrv-5FqA4R8tPOIrw2VPfuTZx3Gr5hXBQ-24&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=lVo4kQRJ54o1Z7cgxBWS7xQVmDho959_3oReoayVzS2fbofo0veULiw9Te1Xcu7v&s=a2lUsLROP9SHzgq8Ud2uprNbSInVxGwuq6foh860CkM&e= >
Radio: 98.1FM/850AM WRUF<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>
Live Stats: SIDEARM<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_sidearmstats_wbball_summary&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=lVo4kQRJ54o1Z7cgxBWS7xQVmDho959_3oReoayVzS2fbofo0veULiw9Te1Xcu7v&s=NGXTVuq24IWbhfJI64yBB1vySNmNz9x8jzWNPVlnfiA&e= >
Game Notes: Florida<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2021_12_9_Florida-5FState-5F12-5F12.pdf&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=lVo4kQRJ54o1Z7cgxBWS7xQVmDho959_3oReoayVzS2fbofo0veULiw9Te1Xcu7v&s=ggdEDnme3MBpoVfKrLV-P__1gWfXzllpjqOTZKev7pM&e= > | Florida State<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__seminoles.com_wp-2Dcontent_uploads_2021_12_Game9-5FFSU-5FUF.pdf&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=lVo4kQRJ54o1Z7cgxBWS7xQVmDho959_3oReoayVzS2fbofo0veULiw9Te1Xcu7v&s=_IUJYcBTuWXRiOfmS8UvQL67oOjmle3vzPjpdT_hghw&e= >

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida women’s basketball will meet in-state rival, Florida State, for the 78th time in series history on Sunday when the Seminoles visit Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for a 1 p.m. ET tip.

The rivalry will be aired live on the SEC Network with Tiffany Greene and Steffi Sorensen on the call while Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis will handle radio responsibilities for Florida on 98.1FM/850AM WRUF.

Seventy-eight meetings between the Gators and Seminoles is the most with any opponent in Florida history. The Gators hold a 42-35 series advantage, but FSU has claimed the last five with UF’s last win occurring in 2015 over the No. 6 ranked Seminoles, 82-72. The Orange & Blue hold the longest winning-streak in the series, taking 16-straight from 1993-2003.

Florida heads into Sunday fresh off of a victory over Atlantic-10 preseason favorite, Dayton, 60-57. Wednesday’s victory over Dayton marked the Gators’ highest-rated win of the season, with the Flyers checking in at No. 91 in the NET prior to the matchup.

Lavender Briggs led UF with 18 points while Kiara Smith tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Jordyn Merritt also contributed 11 points and eight boards. Florida’s win over Dayton marked the first win over a preseason conference favorite since defeating Chattanooga (SOCON) and North Carolina A&T (MEAC) during the 2015-16 season.

With her 18 points, Briggs is closing in on 1,000 career points in her Florida career. The Provo, Utah native is currently sitting at 938 points, just 62 points away from becoming the 27th member of the club. Briggs is also sitting at 19th in the nation and first in the SEC in field goals made with 65.

The floor general for the Gators, Smith has been impressive in multiple aspects of the game for UF during the season. The graduate has tallied 20 assists over three games, the most in a three-game stretch since Delicia Washington recorded 21 in three-straight games from Nov. 23, 2017-Dec. 3, 2017.

Smith’s defense has risen to an elite level during the 2021-22 season, sitting at 14th nationally with a total of 28 steals on the year. She is also ranked 66th in the nation in steals per game, averaging 2.55 during each outing.

Defensively as a team, the third quarter has seen the Gators at the top of their game this season, outscoring opponents 182-135 during the frame. Florida has been almost as good heading into halftime, outscoring the opposition 197-153 in the second quarter.

Florida is currently in the midst of their hardest-stretch of games so far during the year, beginning with Dayton on Wednesday who was ranked 91st in the NET Rankings prior to the matchup. Florida State (48) and Murray State (92) also sit in the top-100 to close out non-conference play for the Orange & Blue.

The Seminoles enter Sunday’s matchup receiving votes in both the AP poll and USA Today Coaches Poll while sitting at 6-2 on the season. Riding into Gainesville on a two-game winning streak, Florida State most recently defeated Charleston Southern, 83-32.

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