The Gator women’s basketball (5-1) team will play its third straight game on the road today when they clash against South Alabama (2-2) in Mobile. This is the first time the two teams will meet since 2010 when the Gators beat the Jaguars in the first round of the Dead River Company Classic.
South Alabama is in the midst of a two game losing skid, while Florida has won five consecutive games, including capturing the title for the 29th Omni Hotels Classic last week in Colorado.
Tonight’s game will be UF’s fourth in just eight days. The Jaguars will surely look to capitalize on the potential fatigue factor as they have not played since they lost to UCF at home six days ago.
Gator head coach Amanda Butler says this will be a great test for the team.
Florida has been led so far by the play of junior forward Ronnie Williams, who is averaging 12 points and seven rebounds on the season. But besides Williams, sophomore forward Haley Lorenzen is also making her presence felt on the court. Lorenzen is shooting 55 percent from the field and is averaging 10 points to go along with six rebounds.
Butler says she’s proud of the improvement Lorenzen has made from last season to this season.
South Alabama has been led thus far by sophomore guard Marquita Daniels. Daniels is averaging 10 points and four assists for the Jaguars after coming off of a solid season last year.
Daniels has been the lone bright spot for South Alabama as they’ve struggled mightily in a lot of areas so far this season. The Jaguars are averaging 48 points per game on just 33 percent shooting from the field (15 percent from beyond the arc). They are also turning the ball over 18 times a game.
Despite these deficiencies, Butler says Florida needs to be alert and ready to play to avoid an upset.
If the Gators beat South Alabama, they will win their sixth consecutive game for the first time since the 2013-2014 season.
Tip-off for the game is set for 8:00 pm.