Sports | Basketball - The Independent Florida Alligator

Florida guard Funda Nakkasoglu's 19 points against Georgia on Sunday wasn't enough to propel the Gators to a win over the Bulldogs.

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Florida women’s basketball team blows fourth-quarter lead, falls to No. 21 Georgia

By Morgan McMullen | Jan. 28, 2018

As the final seconds ticked away in the third quarter, Florida clung to a five-point lead. With Georgia dribbling out the clock for the final shot of the period, UF guard Funda Nakkasoglu and forward Haley Lorenzen double-teamed Georgia’s Que Morrison and forced a turnover. Nakkasoglu grabbed the loose ball, raced down the court and banked in a buzzer-beating layup.

Chris Chiozza shot 7 of 10 from the field, racked up six assists and only turned the ball over once. “I can’t imagine he’s had a better game than that," coach Mike White said.

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Chris Chiozza, Jalen Hudson lead Gators to blowout win over Baylor in Big 12/SEC Challenge

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 27, 2018

Chris Chiozza pulled up to the right side of three-point line seven minutes into the second half and released a shot. As the ball fell through the basket to extend Florida’s lead to 15, a packed O’Connell Center erupted with cheers.

Florida guard Funda Nakkasoglu scored 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the Gators' 90-53 loss to Mississippi State on Thursday night.

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Gators women’s basketball team flounders in blowout defeat against No. 2 Mississippi State

By Justin Ahlum | Jan. 25, 2018

It was sink or swim for the Florida women's basketball team as it hit the road to play against the second-ranked team in the nation on Thursday.

Florida coach Mike White said UF's attention to detail must be better this weekend against Baylor.

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Mike White, Florida men’s basketball team hoping to bounce back against Baylor on Saturday

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 25, 2018

Mike White stood in front of reporters on Thursday morning and was immediately asked about the amount of breakdowns Florida had in its three-point defense against South Carolina on Wednesday.

Senior forward Haley Lorenzen is nearly averaging a double-double (12.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game) this season. On Tuesday, she was named SEC Player of the Week after helping UF to its first two conference wins.

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Haley Lorenzen, Gators women’s basketball team preparing for No. 2 Mississippi State

By Morgan McMullen | Jan. 24, 2018

As senior forward Haley Lorenzen pulled down her final rebound Sunday afternoon against Ole Miss, there were no opponents around her. Her boxout created enough space to take one step to her right, elevate and bank home the eventual game-winning score with 27 seconds left on the clock.

Coach Mike White said he didn't mind if KeVaughn Allen missed 10 shots in a game. He went 5 of 15 Wednesday against South Carolina. “KeVaughn didn’t shoot a great percentage, but I like him being really aggressive,” White said.

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Notebook: Looking at the positives of the Gators’ home loss to South Carolina on Wednesday

By Skyler Lebron | Jan. 24, 2018

In the No. 20 Florida men’s basketball team’s 77-72 loss to South Carolina on Wednesday, three-point defense and poor shooting down the stretch resulted in a sloppy conference defeat, UF’s second of the season.

“We were really good. We were really locked in,” Florida guard Egor Koulechov said, referring to an 11-0 run to start the second half. “It’s a matter of ‘how many minutes can we go being locked in like that?’”

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Gators men’s basketball team falters down the stretch, falls to South Carolina on Wednesday

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 24, 2018

Florida guard Jalen Hudson reached his hands toward South Carolina guard Frank Booker, committing one last desperation foul with 20 seconds remaining in the game.

Florida big men Kevarrius Hayes and Keith Stone (above) have stepped up in the absence of injured teammates. "Boy, have they gotten better since October," coach Mike White said.

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Florida men’s basketball team looking to avenge Elite Eight loss Wednesday against South Carolina

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 23, 2018

The last time Florida and South Carolina faced off, the Gamecocks earned a Final Four berth over the Gators in Madison Square Garden.

Haley Lorenzen had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in the fourth quarter of a 61-60 win against Ole Miss at the O'Connell Center on Sunday.

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Haley Lorenzen, Delicia Washington stepping up for Gators in recent back-to-back victories

By Justin Ahlum | Jan. 22, 2018

Entering the fourth quarter down by 13, the Florida women’s basketball team was on the brink of another SEC loss on its home floor. But forward Haley Lorenzen had other ideas.

Despite the recent turmoil, LeBron James and the Cavaliers are the odds-on favorite to rise to the top of the Eastern Conference.

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Despite their recent struggles, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still the hands-down favorite to represent the East in this year’s NBA Finals

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 22, 2018

Take a moment to check out my Twitter account, @AndrewJHuang. You’ll notice immediately that my cover photo is of Russell Westbrook. About halfway through my bio you’ll see the words “Go OKC.”

UF men's basketball coach Mike White was pleased with his team's defense against Kentucky on Saturday. "We showed a lot of resiliency," he said.

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Staunch defense sparked UF basketball to win over Kentucky

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 21, 2018

Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected a rebound on a missed KeVaughn Allen layup with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Eight seconds later in transition, Gilgeous-Alexander turned the ball over, allowing Florida to respond with two free throws to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 56-55.

After losing its first five SEC games, the Florida women's basketball team is on a current two-game winning streak, defeating Ole Miss 61-60 on Sunday afternoon.

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Gators stage late comeback, defeat Ole Miss at O'Dome

By Morgan McMullen | Jan. 21, 2018

With a raucous home crowd surrounding them, the Gators broke their huddle and trotted out for one more defensive possession. Eight seconds remained in the game, and Ole Miss needed a bucket to pull back into the lead.

Junior guard Jalen Hudson didn't have the best night shooting, going just 4 of 13 from the field. But he came up with a huge block with under 10 seconds to go to secure Florida's second win in its last three meetings against Kentucky.

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Defensive plays down stretch help Florida beat No. 18 Kentucky

By Skyler Lebron | Jan. 20, 2018

The Kentucky men’s basketball team had two opportunities to tie the score in the final moments of the game.

Florida guard Jalen Hudson is leading UF this season with 16.5 points per game. "He's consistently improving his energy level," Gators coach Mike White said.

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Jalen Hudson coming off solid outing as Gators men’s basketball team prepares for Kentucky

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 18, 2018

Florida guard Jalen Hudson stood at the left wing of the three-point line as he received an incoming pass from teammate Egor Koulechov. As soon as Hudson shot the ball, he started backpedaling, confident his attempt would fall through the basket.

Forward Paulina Hersler tied her career high with 19 points in Florida's 65-51 win over Arkansas, its first conference victory in the Cameron Newbauer era.

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Paulina Hersler, Haley Lorenzen lead UF women’s basketball team to first SEC win of 2018

By Justin Ahlum | Jan. 18, 2018

At the start of the third quarter, Florida forward Paulina Hersler received a pass and pulled up from the top of the key for the Gators’ first shot of the frame. The shot went straight through the basket, increasing UF’s lead over Arkansas to double digits and jump starting a 14-4 run to start the second half.

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KeVaughn Allen looked like old self for Florida men’s basketball team on Wednesday night

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 17, 2018

KeVaughn Allen stepped up to the three-point line from the right side of the court with two Razorbacks players guarding him as 32 seconds remained in the first half. He pulled up for the shot, towering over defenders as the ball sailed into the basket.

“This group responds,” coach Cameron Newbauer said. “They respond from film, they respond from just their own personal thoughts from the game. I look forward to practice each day because of that.”

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Coach Newbauer all smiles before Thursday’s matchup with Arkansas

By Morgan McMullen | Jan. 17, 2018

The shift in Cameron Newbauer’s mood between Sunday’s postgame press conference and Tuesday’s practice was palpable.

KeVaughn Allen poured in a career-high 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in Florida's 88-73 win over Arkansas. “Wow, did he play a great game,” coach Mike White said. “He needed it, and we needed it.”

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KeVaughn Allen scores season-high 28 as Gators beat Arkansas on Wednesday, move back into first in SEC standings

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 17, 2018

Florida guard Chris Chiozza dashed toward the basket, zipping through a scattered Arkansas defense as he ran the length of the court on a fast break. As he entered the paint, Chiozza hit fellow guard KeVaughn Allen with a no-look, behind-the-back bounce pass. Allen hit the three-pointer from the right wing of court, increasing UF’s lead to 12 points.

Florida men's basketball coach Mike White and the rest of the Gators are entering today's contest against Arkansas short-handed, with as many as five players expected to sit out.

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Short-handed Gators face Arkansas tonight at O'Dome

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 16, 2018

The list of injuries was already long for the Florida men’s basketball team.

“It’s tough right now,” said coach Cameron Newbauer after his team's fifth consecutive loss. “We gotta keep fighting, keep figuring out a way to get better.”

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Gators continuing to work through struggles in midst of five-game losing streak

By Justin Ahlum | Jan. 15, 2018

After Sunday’s loss to LSU marked Florida’s fifth straight defeat, UF women’s basketball coach Cameron Newbauer spent the opening moments of his press conference with his head down as he spoke to reporters.