The UF women?s basketball team is going to find out this weekend if it can play as well on the road as it has at home.
The Gators (2-0) travel to Nebraska for their first road game Saturday at 6:05 p.m..
The Cornhuskers (2-0) are coming off an 80-59 victory against another Southeastern Conference team, Mississippi, who was projected to finish higher than UF in the conference?s preseason polls.
Players and coaches talked about the importance of staying focused while playing away from home.
BYou can?t be distracted by sleeping in an hotel,C UF coach Amanda Butler said. BYou can?t be distracted by travel and just things that are different from our day-to-day routine.C
Senior guard Depree Bowden hopes to help talk her team through the hostile environment.
BThere?s going to be a lot of fans and everyone?s going to be against us,C she said. BWe gotta keep together as a team and just try to be a family.C
After a scoreless 0-for-10 shooting night against Robert Morris on Monday, junior guard Sha Brooks put in some extra shooting time before each practice in an attempt to improve against Nebraska.
BI most certainly don?t want to have another game like I did the other day,C Brooks said. BI was getting good shots, they just wouldn?t fall. You have bad games like that.C
The game poses yet another challenge in the post for the Gators.
Cornhuskers senior Danielle Page earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors Monday after totaling 24 points and averaging 8.5 rebounds per game in her first two games.
The 6-foot-2 forward came off the bench against the Gators in the Cornhuskers? 81-73 victory last season and scored 15 points and added seven rebounds in just 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, junior forward Marshae Dotson comes off one of the better games of her career, racking up 25 points and 16 rebounds against Robert Morris.
Butler looks to the team?s experience against high-quality post players to help them through yet another frontcourt challenge.
In the team?s 82-71 win against Xavier, the Gators gave up 21 points to star forward Amber Harris but held freshman Ta?Shia Phillips to just 6.
BIt?s definitely something that we hope we can draw some confidence from,C Butler said.
But the Cornhuskers will push the ball, as well, and like the up-tempo style of play.
Last year?s loss to the Cornhuskers, the teams? first-ever meeting, began the downward spiral for UF, which ended in a school-record 13-game losing streak.
The team hopes things will be different this season, and two solid home wins show the Gators are certainly capable of producing a positive result.
Now it?s up to UF to execute on an opponent?s floor.
BKeep the Gator mentality,C junior guard Kim Critton said. BWe gotta bring all our thoughts and things we learned on the road with to see if we can bring back a W.C
