Probably increasing $50,000 with every Regular season and SEC Tourney win and $100,000 every Tournament win
Game Recap: Women's Basketball | Sunday, February 6, 2022 | Andrew Hile Gators Chomp No. 14 Bulldogs in Athens on Sunday ATHENS, Ga. – For just the sixth time in program history, Florida defeated No. 14/11 Georgia in Athens, 54-51, earning their fifth victory against a top-25 opponent for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign. Florida (17-6, 7-3 SEC) snapped a nine-game losing skid to the Bulldogs (17-5, 6-4 SEC) and move ahead of their rivals in the Southeastern Conference standings. Four Gators ended in double-figures, led by Zippy Broughton and Jordyn Merritt with 11 each, while Kiara Smith and Nina Rickards each tallied 10. Despite shooting 18-of-55 (32.7%) with only three made triples, the UF defense made life difficult on Georgia all afternoon. The Gators tallied eight steals, led by Merritt, Rickards and Smith with two each. The Orange & Blue held Georgia to 22-of-64 (34.4%) shooting and just 1-of-10 from deep. The Gators assisted on nine of their 18 made shots. Another key to victory for UF in the defensive struggle, Florida ended an impressive 15-of-17 (88.2%) from the free throw line while the Bulldogs shot just seven on the afternoon, connecting on six of them. On the glass, Florida managed to take care of business, outrebounding the Bulldogs 46-35 in Stegeman Coliseum. Merritt and Rickards each pulled-down nine rebounds with Smith getting up for eight of her own. Que Morrison led the Georgia effort, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. With 6:05 remaining, the Gators found themselves still trailing by four after trading baskets to open the period, but Smith found Merritt on a flare for her first three of the game, pulling within one at 47-46. A 4-0 flurry from the opposition extended their lead back to five, but it would again be Merritt with the answer at the top of the key, keeping UF within striking distance. Riding what got them to that point of the game, Florida's defensive pressure led to a Smith steal who converted a pair of free throws to bring the Gators within 51-50 with just over two minutes remaining. On the following trip, Broughton would give the Orange & Blue the lead for good following a contested layup, 52-51, holding on for a 54-51 win. Florida ended the game on an 8-0 run while also holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the final 4:30. It was a slow offensive start for both teams on Sunday afternoon, with the first field goal of the day coming from a Broughton stop-and-go layup at the 7:48 mark. The Gators' defense was flying to the ball throughout the first 10 minutes, holding the Bulldogs scoreless on their homecourt until 2:40 was left on the clock. The Florida pressure led to an 0-of-12 start from UGA, helping the Orange & Blue to a 7-0 early advantage. Georgia would respond with an 8-2 run over the remaining two minutes of the quarter, as the Gators took a 9-8 lead into the second frame. Georgia used a quick 4-0 spurt at the start of the second quarter to take a 12-9 lead with 7:13 remaining, but the Gators would answer with six of their own, capped off by a Smith fast break layup, to regain a 15-12 lead. In a highly contested second period that featured seven lead changes and three ties, the teams found themselves knotted at 22 with 1:51 remaining. Not shying away from attacking the basket, the Orange & Blue used aggressive play to get to the line and drain four-consecutive free throws to end the half and take a 26-22 lead into the break. Despite shooting just 8-of-30 (26.7%) from the field in the opening half, the defense kept the Bulldogs scoreless from deep while out-rebounding the opposition, 27-18. Another quick start for the Bulldogs saw the home team take the lead, 28-26, following a 6-0 run before a Rickards jumper evened the scoreboard at 28 with 6:53 remaining. With the score knotted at 28, the Bulldogs put together a 9-2 run to give them their largest lead of the game at 37-30 with 3:44 remaining on the clock. The run didn't force the Gators out of their game, however, as they responded with a 5-0 run of their own, thanks to a Merritt lay-in and old-fashioned three-point play from Smith, to close the gap to 37-35. In keeping with the theme of the quarter, Georgia would again respond in kind, eventually taking a 42-38 lead into the final frame following a triple from Emanuely de Oliveira. The Gators will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 10, when they head to Starkville, Miss., for another road test at Mississippi State. Postgame Bites - Florida won in Athens for just the sixth-time in program history and first time since Jan. 22, 2017. - The Gators snapped a nine-game losing skid to the Bulldogs dating back to Jan. 28, 2018 and pick up their first win over a ranked Georgia squad since a 51-48 win over No. 24 on Feb. 12, 2015. - With the victory, Florida has now defeated five ranked teams in a season for the first time since the 2005-06 season when the Gators downed No. 18/16 Temple, No. 19 Vanderbilt, No. 21/23 Kentucky, No. 2/3 LSU and No. 5 Tennessee. - The victory also marks the first time since the 2003-04 season that the Gators have defeated five ranked SEC opponents in a season. That season UF defeated No. 22 Vanderbilt, No. 11/9 Georgia, No. 24 Vanderbilt, No. 19/15 Georgia, and No. 18/20 Auburn. more at: Gators Chomp No. 14 Bulldogs in Athens on Sunday - Florida Gators
Women's Basketball February 06, 2022 Bates’ Career Day Not Enough As Georgia Falls to Florida, 54-51 Box Score ATHENS, Ga. — The No. 14-ranked Georgia Women's Basketball team dropped their Southeastern Conference matchup with the Florida Gators in a defensive showdown Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum, 54-51. Despite the loss, Malury Bates matched her career high in points and led all scorers with 13. The Lady Bulldogs fell to 17-5 on the season and 6-4 in SEC play. Florida improves to 17-6 and 7-3. This afternoon's matchup was also Georgia's annual Play4Kay pink game, where fans are encouraged to wear pink to honor those affected by breast cancer. Additionally, the annual Alumni Game was marked by today's contest, with over 30 former Lady Bulldogs recognized at halftime. "I thought we got really good shots, but they just didn't go in today," shared head coach Joni Taylor. "If you look at the beginning of the game to the end, we're missing bunnies, we're missing lay-ups, we're missing shots we normally make. That didn't change for us. We just got to a point where we were able to make a few. The final score is 54-51, and I think that at halftime we were shooting 30 percent from the field. We finished the game somewhere around the same percentage. Today, for us, we didn't rebound the ball well. To be missing as much as we were, I don't think we attacked rebounds that way we could have and had the opportunity to." The Lady Bulldogs kept fans on the edge of their seats until late in the first quarter when Javyn Nicholson laid in for two. Sarah Ashlee Barker drove to the paint on the following possession and scored on a tough take. Bates ended the quarter with a breakaway score for Georgia after a massive block on the defensive end of the court. Jenna Staiti knocked down her first bucket of the afternoon to open the second quarter, and Que Morrison's six points helped the Lady Bulldogs find some offensive rhythm. Georgia ended the first half down 26-22. Mikayla Coombs and Staiti combined early in the third quarter to tie the game. Barker showed her strength once again to force her way to the paint to give Georgia the lead moments after. The Lady Bulldogs enjoyed a 7-0 run during the third and entered the fourth quarter up 42-38. The Lady Bulldogs and Gators traded momentum throughout the fourth quarter. Barker was unable to convert her three-point attempt on the final possession. Georgia and Florida split their series on the season. more at Women's Basketball
There is a ton to consider here as far as Kelly’s interim tag. First, let’s say SS only started seriously considering it in the last few weeks, it takes time to get something done. Especially when there’s no pressure to do it quickly. Kelly could have told Scott she wanted to focus on the season and then do it after. Which could mean she’s betting on herself. I do think there is a fair question of how much of the X and O success is coming from our all world assistant. So if we can’t keep her (and I haven’t heard anything either way), how much does that diminish Kelly’s value? I am not knocking Kelly in saying that because at a bare minimum the belief and togetherness she has brought to the program are remarkable, but I do think Julie Plank has done a lot without a lot of credit. They both could have agreed to do it after the season in a good faith way. but the thing no one is talking about is whether the Cam investigation is done and out to bed. Because she isn’t getting a contract before that happens and she is at least mostly cleared.
Xs and Os are important. But having a coach who can bring in talent and who that talent really wants to play for is more important. The great ones have that. Billy had that for us, so did Spurrier for that matter. I think that Kelly has shown she has it. Kim Mulkey at LSU has it and it seems she recognizes it in Kelly. But UF is never going to pay Kim Mulkey dollars. Julie can go elsewhere as a Head Coach. She has burnished her reputation while at UF but she probably could have come back as a Head Coach at a mid major if that was what she wanted. If she wants to stay we should treat her extremely well and be thankful. Hopefully she and Kelly really like each other but who knows. If we let Kelly walk without an absolute home run hire who I do not think we can get, there will be a mass exodus from the program and we will have made a statement about what it means to us. Kelly Rae will be fine and will be a Head Coach somewhere next year. I just hope it’s here.
People shouting for her to be named are bringing a lot of attention to the program, and while perhaps directed negatively at the AD, it is very positive attention for the WBB program. So, in many ways I think it can still be advantageous to wait even if the vast majority of us are convinced Kelly deserves it now. It would be pretty spectacular if she gets named NCOY as an interim. But more than anything, just need her to focus on keeping the team focused and hungry. Will be a whole new challenge the rest of the way with national attention, the weight of expectation of a ranking and a target on their backs.
In case no one noticed, in consecutive games we've outrebounded Tennessee and Georgia. Two teams that always win the rebounding battle.
All recruits with interest (even those who don't) in the Gators take note and imagine the vision you can help build something special!
