Sports | Women's Basketball - The Independent Florida Alligator

Florida guard Funda Nakkasoglu dropped a team-high 18 points in UF’s 67-50 loss to Tennessee on Thursday in Knoxville.

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Florida drops to Tennessee in Knoxville for fourth straight loss

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 31, 2019

The Gators walked into the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, without one of the most important elements in the game of basketball: height. The team was down its starting 6-foot-1 forward, Kristina Moore, after she injured her arm Sunday against Arkansas, and her absence was evident from the first whistle to the last.

Florida guard Delicia Washington is expected to return for Thursday's game against Tennessee. She took a hit to the head against Mississippi State on Jan. 24 that forced her to sit out a game as she went through concussion protocol.

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Undersized UF hindered by Moore's injury

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 29, 2019

The Gators tried to get one last shot off before the buzzer sounded. They had an excellent opening quarter on Sunday against Arkansas and were up by 12.

Guard Kiara Smith pitched in a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) in Florida’s 83-73 home loss to Arkansas on Sunday. She also recorded a team-high five assists.

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UF falls to Arkansas at O’Dome for third-straight loss

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 28, 2019

It was the pace.

UF guard Funda Nakkasoglu scored 14 points in Florida’s 90-42 loss to Mississippi State on Thursday night. She was the only Gator to score in the first quarter.

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Florida embarrassed by Mississippi State at O’Dome

By Sam Campisano | Jan. 24, 2019

If you told Florida women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer that the Gators out-rebounded No. 7 Mississippi State and held its leading scorer, Teaira McCowan, to just two points, he probably wouldn’t have expected his team to get blown out.

Guard Funda Nakkasoglu scored 30 points to help the Gators' women's basketball team snap a three-game losing streak in a 70-60 win over Charleston Southern.

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Ole Miss leads start to finish to down Gators

By Sam Campisano | Jan. 20, 2019

Ole Miss guard Mimi Reid drilled a three on the first possession of Sunday’s game in Oxford, Mississippi.

Florida guard Ariel Johnson is averaging 5.3 points per game and is second on the team with 22 three-pointers.

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Florida’s bench has been one of its few bright spots

By Sam Campisano | Jan. 17, 2019

It has been a frustrating season for the Florida women’s basketball team, but one signal that greener pastures could be on the horizon can be found at the bottom of the stat sheet after every game: bench points.

Florida guard Delicia Washington’s game-winning layup helped the Gators beat Missouri 58-56, their first win against the Tigers in program history.

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Washington’s game-winner nets first win against Mizzou

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 13, 2019

A hesitation move and a dash to her right allowed her to blow by the defender. She reached the rim and leaped as three Missouri Tigers jumped along with her to try and swat the ball away. She double-clutched and banked the shot off the glass and in with 2.2 seconds left to give Florida its first lead since 8:14 in the first quarter.

Florida guard Kiara Smith led the team with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting during UF's 71-40 loss to South Carolina on Thursday.

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Florida still winless in SEC after loss to South Carolina

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 10, 2019

The South Carolina Gamecocks led from tip-off to the final whistle at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, on Thursday night. They handed the Florida women’s basketball team its third-straight SEC loss and seventh-consecutive road defeat, winning 71-40.

Gators guard Kiara Smith led the team in scoring during UF's 64-56 loss to Auburn on Sunday. She scored 15 points against the Tigers and went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

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Where can UF turn when its leading scorers are playing inconsistently?

By Sam Campisano Sports Writer | Jan. 8, 2019

Sunday’s 64-56 loss at the hands of Auburn raises an interesting question about the Florida Gators women’s basketball team: Who can the team turn to when its two leading scorers, Funda Nakkasoglu and Delicia Washington, aren’t at the top of their games?

“You have to learn that in the SEC when you get punched you can’t flinch, you can’t falter,” said Gators women's basketball coach Cam Newbauer. “We just kinda flinched a little bit at the wrong time and got away from what our game plan was.”

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Florida falls to Auburn in second-straight conference loss

By Sam Campisano | Jan. 6, 2019

The Florida women’s basketball team needed big performances from its two leading-scorers in Funda Nakkasoglu and Delicia Washington to win on Sunday. They didn’t deliver.

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Florida blows lead, drops first SEC matchup

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 3, 2019

The Gators had finally gotten back in the game. They had blown their early 20-point lead but now had the game tied again with momentum on their side.

Guard Funda Nakkasoglu led the Gators in scoring with 43 points through the first two games. She's the only UF player shooting over 50.0 percent from the field (57.1).

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Nakkasoglu, Gators topple Charleston Southern in final non-conference game

By Dylan Rudolph and Dylan Rudolph Sports Writer | Dec. 30, 2018

Guard Funda Nakkasoglu found her deep shot at the right time. She rose up without hesitation and made back-to-back threes, the ball slicing through the net and giving the Gators the lead late in the third quarter.

Guard Funda Nakkasoglu is the SEC's second-leading scorer, and she contributed a team-high 16 points as well as two rebounds and a steal in the Gators 56-53 loss to UNLV.

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Rainey’s three falls short at buzzer, Gators fall to UNLV

By Sam Campisano | Dec. 21, 2018

Florida guard Danielle Rainey’s game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer came up short as UNLV defeated the Florida women’s basketball team 56-53 for its second loss in as many nights.

Coach Cameron Newbauer completed his first season with an 11-19 record.

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Utes overpower Gators in Las Vegas

By Dylan Rudolph | Dec. 20, 2018

Coach Cam Newbauer stressed that defense would be key before the Florida women’s basketball team’s game against Utah. Going against the 25th-best scoring offense in the nation is no simple task, and his young team had its hands full.

At 20.1 points per game, UF guard Funda Nakkasoglu leads the SEC in scoring. She's also one of five UF players returning from last year's team that strung together two wins in January.

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Winning streak snapped as Gators fall at Ohio State

By Sam Campisano | Dec. 16, 2018

The return of leading scorer Funda Nakkasoglu wasn’t enough for the Florida women’s basketball team to earn its fourth-consecutive victory.

Guard Delicia Washington led the Gators in scoring with 16 points against Bethune-Cookman. She also finished with 10 rebounds and an assist.

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No Nakkasoglu, no problem as Gators blowout FAMU

By Sam Campisano | Dec. 9, 2018

Forward Zada Williams scored a career-high 16 points at the O’Connell Center to lead the Gators women’s basketball team to their third straight win, a 62-38 thrashing of Florida A&M.

UF guard Delicia Washington collected 10 rebounds and three assists during Florida's 72-67 win over Texas Tech on Sunday at the O'Connell Center.

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Defense lifts Florida to second consecutive win

By Dylan Rudolph | Dec. 5, 2018

Bethune-Cookman guard Angel Golden drove to the basket in the second quarter looking to end Florida’s 5-0 run. She, instead, met a sea of orange as all five UF defenders converged on her in the paint, disrupting her shot and sending her to the floor in a heap.

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UF looks to carry momentum into home game with Bethune-Cookman

By Sam Campisano | Dec. 4, 2018

Just five current players were on the roster the last time the Florida women’s basketball team won two games in a row.

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Gators beat Texas Tech for first win of season

By Dylan Rudolph | Dec. 3, 2018

Guard Delicia Washington waited for her opportunity like a tiger on the hunt. A pass early in the third quarter that hung in the air just a little too long allowed the 5-foot-10 guard to step right in front and take it to the other end for an easy basket.

The Gators have led after the first quarter in four of their first six games of the season.

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Three things Gators need to fix before Texas Tech

By Sam Campisano | Nov. 29, 2018

The Florida women’s basketball team is off to its worst start in program history, losing all six games so far. Here are three things to look out for as the Gators try to get their season on track, starting on Sunday when they take on Texas Tech: